How do we teach our children to make healthy food choices when there are so many opportunities that foods like these are part of ongoing celebrations and are readily available. My daughter will make the healthy choice when at home, but has a harder time when outside of the house. And even though my son is just 5 months old and beginning to eat solid foods, I find myself wondering what eating habits will curve his appetite for healthier foods as he gets older? So, how can we get our children to make the healthy choice on their own and make it a part of their lifestyle as they continue to get older?
While researching through the plethora of information out there about healthier eating, I am overwhelmed by the amount of items you 'should not' or 'should' be feeding you kids. "Stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup", "High Fructose Corn Syrup is not bad for you", "GMO's are bad for your health", "there are no links to health issues and GMO's", "eat only organic", "organic is too expensive". With all of this conflicting information out there what guidelines are a parent to follow? A quote from Julia Child really spaeks to me when thinking about the daunting task of making meals healthier in our home. "Everything in moderation, including moderation." I for one, like so many moms out there, have way too much going on during my day to read the latest research released every five minutes or to read every label of every item my child eats. I also don't want to stress out every time my child has a piece of candy. That being said, I do want to do something feasible that is consistent in hopes that we create healthy eating habits as a family that create a lifestyle that will carry on throughout my kids' adolescents and adulthood.
I have created a few of my own simple rules to try to accomplish this goal. I figure if I have a set of rules that we can follow, they soon will turn into regular practices and become part of our healthy lifestyle.
- Buy organic and natural as much as possible. Organic items often go on sale, so I find myself buying the organic items on sale and adjusting my menu to what I've purchased.. I also compare prices. Some organic items sold at farmers markets, fruit stands and organic grocers can even be cheaper than non organic items.
- Keep the sugar items to a minimum. The less sweets we have in the house the less likely we are to eat them, right? If they aren't an option on a regular basis, I hope my children will be less interested when they are an option.
- Make it homemade as much as possible. There are several things I make that take minimal time and cut the sugars, unnecessary fats, sodium and other chemicals found in processed foods. Believe it or not, many items are much cheaper when made yourself. Some examples are making oatmeal from Minute Oats instead of instant oatmeal. I create the same single serve pouches in zip lock bags and add a tad of brown sugar. This drastically cuts the amount of sodium from a morning meal. Add fresh fruit and you've got a delicious start to your day! Another item I make homemade are fruit snack treats. Most store bought versions are pure sugar and if they are real fruit, organic and low sugar they can be difficult to find and expensive to buy. Here is a link to a great recipe I use to make these yummy snacks the whole family loves! It may take some extra time to make them, but they are very much worth it.
- Plan it out! Planning our meals a week, two weeks or even a month ahead of time will ensure we are prepared to make a healthy meal and can limit the number of quick, prepackaged foods we consume.
- Eat in! Eating at home isn't only good for the waste line, but good for the wallet too! When I make our meal plan for the month I plan days we will be eating out. This way we can still treat ourselves to going out. Since it is planned, we don't over indulge. I take it a step further and also plan the restaurant we visit. This way I can choose restaurants with healthier food options.
- Grow it! I don't yet have my football field size greenhouse I would love to have, but that doesn't keep us from growing some of our own produce. Growing things like tomatoes, peppers, peas, and green beans in planters on our deck make for yummy, healthy and organic snacks that the kids can participate in. You'd be surprised what you can get your kids to eat when they grow it with their own two hands! For other items you may not have the means, space, time or energy for, you may be able to find local farms that have pick and purchase available. This is a great way to teach your children about how foods are grown, and they become more interested in eating them.
- Think out of the Box! There are a number of options of places to purchase food other than the grocery store. We have tried a few and LOVE Royal Crest Dairy. The prices are similar to organic items in the store but they come to your house. They arrive early in the morning just in time for breakfast and get this, only a $3.00 a month delivery fee. I think I spend that much just driving to and from the store! Check out what is available locally to you. Here are a few located in and around the Denver metro area. Mile High Organics, Fooducopia, Door to Door Organics,Table Mountain Farms
- Let them help! Get the kids involved while cooking in the kitchen. This isn't just great bonding time, but also a time they learn the basics of cooking and appriciate their own hard work in making their meal. There is no right age to teach your children how to work and play in the kitchen. With parental supervision, they should be able to cut (yes, with a knife), saute, boil, bake, mis, stir, blanch, etc. For younger children, the simple task of counting items you are cooking with is a good way to introdcue and include them into the cooking process. Fore example, make a homemade pizza or personal size pizzas. Buy pre-made pizza dough, or make your own. Have them help you to roll it out and place it on a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Let them choose their very own toppings and create their pizza the way they would like to eat it.
While following these rules, I also talk about the healthy choices we've made when we are eating healthy foods and praise my daughter when she makes healthy choices on her own. I hope that these rules will lead to a lifelong love of nutrition and healthy food choices.
Here are a few healthy food ideas from other moms! Share what your kids favorite healthy meals and snacks are or rules you try to follow to encourage healthy food choices in your home!
-Diana, mother of a 4 month old and 3 year old says," Smoothies with spinach, tofu or whey powder are our favorite! We also like Pistachios and dark chocolate, or my son Grant's favorite, Cheese Spiders! (grated cheese mished into "spider" shapes). Another go to are zucchini pancakes! Can't forget Plum Organics squeeze packets (fruit and veggie baby food/toddler mixes).They are ALWAYS in the diaper bag."
-Leigh, mother of a 4 month old and a 5 year old says,"Addison really likes apples with or without peanut butter for dipping, but for on the go I like the 100% fruit pouches and we also really like cliff bars. I keep them in my purse for easy snacking!"
-Megan, mother of an 11 month old says, "Kinley likes whole grain flat bread quesadillas with hummus, avocado red pepper, spinach and cheese!"
-Diana, mother of a 4 month old and 3 year old says," Smoothies with spinach, tofu or whey powder are our favorite! We also like Pistachios and dark chocolate, or my son Grant's favorite, Cheese Spiders! (grated cheese mished into "spider" shapes). Another go to are zucchini pancakes! Can't forget Plum Organics squeeze packets (fruit and veggie baby food/toddler mixes).They are ALWAYS in the diaper bag."
-Leigh, mother of a 4 month old and a 5 year old says,"Addison really likes apples with or without peanut butter for dipping, but for on the go I like the 100% fruit pouches and we also really like cliff bars. I keep them in my purse for easy snacking!"
-Megan, mother of an 11 month old says, "Kinley likes whole grain flat bread quesadillas with hummus, avocado red pepper, spinach and cheese!"
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