Food for Thought 3-14-16

As we continue into National Nutrition Month this March, this week’s topic is on families and children’s nutrition.  As many of us know, it can be quite a feat to get everyone in the house to eat together let alone eat the right foods.

Working in a few changes every day can make a difference in a better diet and healthy eating lifestyle for the kids as well their parents.  Let’s start off with eating more fruits and vegetables.  My training teaches us nine fruits and vegetables per day is a good, healthy mix.  How is it possible to get tiny tastes to eat that many fruits and veggies daily?  Mix ’em in. Start the day off with a shake after breakfast and include 2-3 fruits and a few lettuce or spinach leaves.  Snacks during the day can be fruit slices, grapes or carrots and celery sticks.  Make a homemade hummus dip of canned chick peas and you’ve got a healthy snack that tastes great! An afternoon snack of steamed broccoli and cauliflower can be dipped in homemade ranch dressing.  Bean, corn, potatoes and squashes are a great choice for dinner. How about a baked apple with cinnamon and raisins for dessert.  That adds up to about 12 delicious servings a day. Reminder a serving size is 1/2 cup of a fruit or vegetable.c

Another great idea to help kids and parents eat healthier is to cut down on sugar consumption.  Prepackaged foods that serve as snacks are often loaded with refined white sugar and artificial colors, flavor and additives.  Natural sweeteners such as honey, agave and pure maple syrup add just the right sweet punch and are good for you.  Make your own healthy cookies with whole grain oats or whole wheat flour.  Substitute unsweetened applesauce for sugar.  Fats are another area kids may tend to overeat.   A healthy fat is really a better option that any low-fat item which may contain harmful additives to cover to loss of the full fat.  Half an avocado, a handful of nuts or seeds or a nut butter spread on a whole wheat piece of toast or bread are great ways to incorporate a healthy fat into your kids and your own diet.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly we need to consider portion size.  Everyone’s stomach is the size of their fist whether child or adult.  That is the portion size of each food your child should eat per meal.  Try using smaller colorful plates at meal time.  Make it exciting for your child and they will relate meal time to fun time.  Use half a sweet potato, a quarter cup of corn, peas or beans to top a salad. Cut the protein, if you eat it, meat, seafood or chicken in half.  Add some grapes for a sweet treat.  But most of all eat together as a family,  Meal time can be bonding time.  Go over your days, plan your next meal or what fun exercise everyone will do tomorrow.  A creative idea is to have a weekly chart and let the kids each choose a favorite meal during the week.

My LEAN Start online and live workshops are geared towards families with children ages 3-12 and can help you learn how to eat right and incorporate daily exercise into your home life for your kids and you.  Please go to my coaching page to see what my workshops offer and other coaching services.  Contact me for more info or to register for my workshops. My next LEAN Start workshop starts on 4/11/16.

If you as a parent can incorporate healthy eating into your daily life with a little bit of creativity and fun, you’ll be on the road with your kids to optimal health!

http://www.letsmove.gov/healthy-families

*Disclaimer:

This information is solely for informational purposes.  IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.  Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of  medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information.  The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.