Going back to school after a long and adventurous summer can be a frightening and exciting time for both parents and kids. Whether it is beginning at a brand new school after a move across the country or meeting new friends, the process can be quite the undertaking.  

5 Healthy Back to School Tips:

1. Catch up on Sleep

Studies have shown that getting adequate sleep not only helps with little ones growing (growth hormones surge during sleep) but it’s also vital for optimal neurotransmitter production. Neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and epinephrine help little ones to have a balanced mood as well as help with focus and concentration during the school day. Getting at least 9-11 hours of sleep per night for school age kids is a must. Having a small cup of chamomile tea after dinner can help with relaxing the child and therefore promote more restful sleep.

2. Get Outside and Move

Movement can help with maintaining and achieving a healthy weight in children. It also helps with increasing their ability to socialize with their peers and community. By reducing the amount of screen time our kids partake in, we can help to encourage them to be outside and moving for at least 60 minutes per day. If that means participating in organized sports, playing a fun game of kick ball with family members or riding a bike, all of these activities will help to keep our kids in shape and much healthier during the school year.

3. Boost the Immune System

Do you notice that your child is more susceptible to the common cold during the school year? Or have you noticed that it takes your child a longer time to recover from common childhood illness? Our kid’s immune systems are very fragile and are easily influenced by their surroundings. Because children are exposed to hundreds of different bacteria and viruses on a daily basis, supporting their immune system during the school year (and beyond) is very important. Starting with a refrigerated probiotic is a great choice, mainly because a large majority of our immune cells are housed in the GI tract (GALT). Other great ways of helping to support your child’s immune system is encouraging hand washing with soap and water and an increase in the consumption of vitamin C rich foods. You could also try working in elderberry syrup as a part of their daily regimen.

4. Get Creative

With free, unstructured time comes a blooming surge in creativity. Creativity helps to aid children in social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Allowing your child to put on a play for you, draw or paint their latest masterpiece or build a spaceship from a cardboard box will give them the confidence to succeed in the classroom on a daily basis. Let your child guide you on their likes and dislikes. Provide a space for them to express themselves emotionally through music or dance during their creative time. The sky should be the limit when it comes to letting your child’s creativity soar.

5. Family Meals

Have you ever noticed that when you include your child in the preparation of food that they are more likely to consume the meal or snack that they helped out with? When children are active participants in their family dynamics, they have a vested interest in the outcome. Preparing and eating meals with your family helps with reducing social anxiety as this is the time for the whole family to connect and check in after a full day of being separated from one another. The more family meals that can be consumed per week also significantly reduce symptoms in medical disorders such as asthma due to children being able to communicate any changes in the way that they feel during dinner time. When families are choosing to consume more nutrient-dense foods like fresh fruits, veggies and complex carbohydrates they tend to have a lower rate of childhood obesity and are more likely to make healthier choices as adults. So let us remember to relax, laugh and gather around the dining room table, as family meals are key to helping your child thrive during the school year.

Resources: Sleep Health Foundation, Center for Disease Control, American Pediatric Association

If you would like additional support regarding your child’s health and well-being, explore our page on Children’s Health and contact our office at (804) 977-2634 to schedule an appointment.

Are you looking for something sweet that is Vegan and is easy to make? Then you should try Dr. Hollon’s recipe for Vegan Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes. This recipe contains no dairy, no egg and no potato.

I love the warm weather and wanted to share a little sweet satisfaction to finish off the summer.  These vegan and potato free tasty little cupcakes came out wonderful so I wanted to be able to share this great recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour- you can use 1 & 1/4 of whole wheat and 3/4c of coconut flour or for gluten free use 3/4c rice flour and 1/4 buckwheat or coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking soda or Rumford’s baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 3/4 cup whole coconut milk (not all are created equal- my favorite is Native Forest) or use your own homemade almond milk
• 3/4 cup organic applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8tsp of cinnamon
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 80z of fresh pineapple (pureed in blender); some cam be left over for toppings on the cupcakes

For Icing:

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod, scraped (or sub 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1-2 TB real maple syrup (organic)
• 1 TB melted coconut oil
• 1/4c fresh shaved coconut

Directions for Cupcakes:

Combine flour, baking soda/powder and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together oil, almond milk/coconut milk, applesauce and vanilla. Then stir in the sugar and pineapple until well-mixed.  Finally, combine flour mixture to the wet mixture.  Bake for 20-23mins at 325F.

Directions for Icing:

You can soak your cashews for a few hours or if your time is short, soak with sea salt for 20 mins.  Then rinse the cashews and then place into a blender or food processor.  Add the vanilla bean/vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, maple syrup and 1/2 cup of almond/coconut milk to start.  Blend to puree, slowly pouring in coconut oil while blending to thicken the mixture.  Continue blending until you reach your desired consistency (remember it will thicken once chilled).  I frosted the cupcakes, then added pineapple puree and then sprinkled with coconut shavings and added blueberries.

Leftovers cupcakes and icing will keep in fridge for up to a few days.

About the Author:

Richmond Native and Naturopathic Dr. Leah Hollon is the Co-Owner of Richmond Natural Medicine. She received her B.S. and MPH from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a graduate of National College of Natural Medicine where she received her Naturopathic Medical Degree. Her areas of focus include Autoimmune, Hormones, MTHFR Gene Mutation and Naturopathic Cancer Support. Please check our Book An Appointment for more information about booking an appointment.