Friday, September 20, 2013

Children and Healthy Snacks



Children and Healthy Snacks


As a certified health coach and a mom to a kindergartner, I have learned that sharing my interest of eating clean with my son has returned great results.  He has been eager to try new dishes with me. This is exciting because I’m always coming up with new ones! 


As a parent, I know you desire for your child(ren) to eat more fruits and vegetables but yet you’re stumped on how to or maybe have simply ran out of new ideas on how to present the foods to them, right? Look no further! Before I share a few ideas, I am going to give you a starter list of which ingredients to avoid and why.


·      High Fructose Corn Syrup is an ingredient that has been processed many times over. It also shuts down the body’s ability to say ‘enough.’ It contains 40-90% fructose and it shapes a child’s tastes toward sweet cravings. It is a leading cause of obesity (the over-consumption of fructose since the 1970s). More on this topic, click here.  


·      Artificial Dyes are ingredients that are a color and a number and studies show a link between them and hyperactivity in children. They are also called excitotoxins because they have the ability to damage cells in the brain.  Dyes: Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. More on this topic, click here


·      Hydrogenated Oils are man-made fats. Another name for them is trans-fats. Trans-fats may damage cell membranes in the brain and nerve cells. More on this topic, click here


Now that we have addressed what to avoid, let’s focus on the positive. Here are some proven tricks to get your children to eat and enjoy more vegetables (and fruits):


Dip it (hummus, guacamole), Hide it (add grated veggies to dishes), Design it (make veggie art), Grow it (plant a garden), Fill it (stuff a pita), and Tell it (greens are ‘grow foods’).

My son’s favorite go-to snack is apple wedges with drizzled raw honey and sprinkled cinnamon.



Choose, eat, and live well! =)

1 comment:

  1. You always keep me focused on eating well and feeding my sons well. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete