Help Today's Kids to Eat Healthy

We live in a time where fast food is the norm. I can say that I do have my share of eating ‘Burger X’ and ‘Burger Y’ many times over. But from the time I became a mom and have young kids of my own, my common sense takes over and my constant search for healthier choices has always been my motivation.

For a mom like me, I make it a point that my kids eat healthy. I would be a hypocrite to say that I didn’t encounter any struggles when it comes to encouraging my kids to eat a balanced meal each time around especially when food choices are concerned.

I do have my share of failures and successes when it comes to teaching and reinforcing my kids to eat healthy foods. In the past ten years, I spent countless hours planning for our meals every week. That would also include what foods to take for both school and work. Although I already have prior knowledge on what constitutes a healthy meal and which foods are good, and which ones are bad, I still learn along the way and make it a habit to be alert and conscious of the different kinds of foods made available. You would be surprised to know that in as much as there are many cuisine types to choose from, there are also hundreds upon hundreds of foods sold' in supermarkets, fresh markets and delis.

As a mother living in a world filled with 'too many choices', I can’t help but see all these fast food chains sprawl all over the place. So, whose kid wouldn’t know what McDonald’s is? Or, how Pizza Hut looks like? My kids would know perfectly well what the golden arches are and which kid’s meal to order. What I am trying to say here is this—we can help kids eat healthy and make smart food choices.

Here are the different ways I use to help my kids to eat healthy. These are my tips which I believe will help you a lot!-

1. Avoid the fast food solution. Plan meals ahead of time—this will surely demand a fraction of your time but it’s worth it. I suggest that you make a weekly meal plan that will include breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you’re up to it, you can develop a monthly meal plan that will include all four weekly meal plans.

2. Follow Canada’s Food Guide—you will be able to make sure that you meet your children’s daily food requirement, to help keep them strong and healthy.

3. Be armed with tons of recipes—Not a good cook?...well, having stacks of recipes that you think your children will love, will save you the hassle of thinking what to prepare or cook next. Make sure that you use recipes that will be good for family meals.

4. Eat what you preach—nothing is more encouraging and inspiring to kids than to see YOU eat healthy foods every time! So make the extra effort to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Not only will it entice them, but this will be good for you, too!

5. Plan for a pizza night—loosen up and treat yourself! If you have successfully implemented a healthy weekly meal plan, you CAN surely include a pizza night! Not only will this be a treat for your kids, but this will also allow you some time to be together as a family! So, choose a movie and reserve that weeknight or Saturday night on a round of pizza!

6. Avoid those sweets—Since Halloween’s over, I bet that your kids (or maybe kids you know), have bags of sweets with them! Don’t let kids eat their candies and chocolates as if those were ‘snacks’. Reserve those sweets as treats or rewards. Better pack your kids with cut fruits and vegetables—it is far healthier than the sugar-coated ones.

7. Be creative in your food preparations—kids just LOVE to see ‘happy faces’ and colours in their meals. If you are cooking pancakes, slice up some bananas (crosswise) and use it as ‘eyes’ on their pancakes and use bits of chocolate chips to form the ‘mouths’. If you are preparing some chicken noodle soup, it will be best to add some ‘colour’ into it by adding chopped carrots and bell pepper. On the side, you can add sliced boiled egg. You’re the cook so you can be creative when preparing their meals.

8. Reserve the juice for later—you would be surprised that most juices we buy in stores today have sugar added in them, even if the label says, ‘from concentrate’ or ‘100% juice’. During mealtimes, it will be best for kids to drink water instead. After they have finished their glass of water, that will be the time for them to drink some juice. This practice will ensure that your kids are well hydrated. Also, water will help them digest their food better. In fact, water has numerous benefits to the body, so better make a wise choice on what you put on the table.Oh, don't you forget! After kids are done with their juice, let them have a drink of water again to help wash down the sugars from their mouths. This will help keep cavities away.

 So, there you go! If you have any suggestions on how we can help today’s kids eat healthy, just leave your comments on this blog and we’ll include them in a different post. By the way, here's anoter link which you might find very helpful- Seven Powerful Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy