This requires taking the time to get to the store and buy fresh, frozen, and/or canned fruits and vegetables. This can be hard with young children. However, in the long run, it will be less expensive and much more healthier than running through a fast food drive-thru and getting high calorie foods and sugar loaded drinks. Save the “take-out” for a special treat, or as a reward for super-duper good behavior. Try to keep junk food to less than once a week. Again, this can be hard with working parent(s) and young children. All children should have milk with their 3 meals a day, and restrict liquids at snack time to water, whole-fruit juices, and milk. Sodas are “empty” calories–they do nothing but send sugar to the liver to be transformed into fat. Sodas are also likely loaded with caffeine, a stimulant that should not be given to children, or adults for that matter, on a daily or even weekly basis. For children to grow up healthy, and for them to stay healthy as adults, they need to start young. And parents need to stay healthy as well, to keep up with those fast-moving growing children! Eating healthy is a lot of work–much more work than driving through a drive-thru. In the long run, it will pay off. Kids are more likely to pay better attention in school, be less hyperactive (good luck), and overall do better in life when they are feed healthy and wholesome foods everyday. Here are some suggestions to help you get started living a healthier and happier life!
Easy Ways to Eat 6 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day
Breakfast: eat half a banana or half an apple along with whatever else you normally have for breakfast. Instead of sugary cereals, get granola, Cheerios, Life, Corn Flakes, or any of the other un-sugared stuff, and cut up a banana on top. Add milk, and you have the perfect breakfast.
Lunch: eat a medium carrot or half an apple mid-morning. Have two cups of dark leafy lettuce in a salad with lunch.
Dinner: snack on a carrot or half an apple before dinner then have a vegetable or fruit side dish with your meal. Always have a green salad.
Some other ideas to live a healthy lifestyle:
- Eat the fruit, not the juice. Juice tends to have more added sugar rather than the natural sugar in the fruit. Added sugar adds more carbohydrates (which turn into sugar and then into fat by the liver) and tends to rise the blood sugar levels higher quicker. The fiber in whole fruit is absorbed more slowly, making you feel full longer. To keep your blood sugar stable, add some protein to your whole fruit. Apple slices and nut butters or fruit with cheese help maintain energy over the long haul. You want to avoid the quick burst of energy followed by an energy crash.
- Make sure there is plenty of fiber in what you are eating. Fiber is important to the health of your digestive system and helps stabilize blood sugar. Subtract grams of fiber from the carbohydrates in the food you are eating. When buying cereal, look for brands that have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Consider sneaking extra fiber into foods. Make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with cooked lentils to add more fiber.
- Eating at home is way healthier than eating out, especially if you make food from scratch. Restaurant food is higher in fat and sodium (salt) and should be a rare treat.
- The toughest food to deal with is pizza. When you make pizza at home with a homemade, pita, or naan crust and low fat cheese, it is much better than store bought pizza. Sugar spikes are common, as is the added salt and fat.
- Candy should be a special treat for celebrating special occasions. It is also good during an athletic event to compensate for the impact of exercise, such as during a long run or bike race when there is no time to stop and eat a piece of fruit.
- Be as active as possible. No sitting in front of the TV or playing on game consoles. Blood sugars will rise on their own without activity. Exercise helps our heart and lungs and evens out our blood sugar levels.
Tips:
- The size of one serving is half a cup–so a large apple counts as two! For younger children, a serving is generally one fourth cup, so give helpings accordingly.
- Fiber in beans, vegetables and fruits help keep your heart healthy.
- Fresh, frozen, or canned? These all have about equal nutrition value. Rinse fruits if in heavy syrup and choose “light syrup” for less calories from sugar. Canned vegetables also tend to have more added salt.
- Carrots, celery, onions, oranges, and apples last a long time after you buy them so they are easy to keep on hand in your kitchen. If you can refrigerate them, they will last longer.
- Whenever you make canned soup at home, you can add in extra fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables to boost the nutrition. Or grate a zucchini or carrot in the soup–small pieces won’t be tasted.
- For healthier pizza, ask them to put on only half the cheese and give the rest to use later. Tastes about the same–but with about half the fat!
- Get Take-and-Bake pizzas and then boost the nutrition by adding thin-sliced zucchini or onion, or chopped bell peppers at home before baking.
What are some good snacks for my child?
Children have small stomachs so they need to eat often. Snacks should be planned. Here are some good snack ideas:
- soft fruits
- cooked vegetables
- peanut butter on crackers
- small sandwich
- healthy cereal and milk
- quesadilla (cheese melted on a tortilla)
- cheese
- yogurt
- bagel
- fruit juice popsicle
What about fast food and “junk food”?
A fast food meal once in awhile is fine. Here are some good choices:
- pizza with vegetable toppings
- broiled chicken sandwich
- plain hamburger with lettuce and tomato
- baked potato
- milk
- juice
- frozen yogurt
- limit sodas and sweet drinks
Watch out for “junk food”. TV advertising can make your child ask for many foods, like sweet cereals, potato chips, cheese puffs, candy, sodas, snack cakes, and cookies. These foods are expensive and low in nutrition. They often are high in fat, sugar, or salt. Eating too many of these foods can make your child overweight or spoil her appetite for meals. These foods can also cause tooth decay. Be sure to read labels and buy healthy snacks for your family. Some good choices are:
- popcorn
- dry WIC cereals
- dried fruits
- yogurt
- nuts
- graham crackers
- pretzels
- frit juice popsicles
- cheese
- fruits
- do not give popcorn, nuts, or dried fruits to children under 4 years old.
How can I help my child have a healthy weight?
Play with your child every day. Active play helps your child be healthy and grow well. Limit TV time to 1 or 2 hours per day. Here are a few ideas:
- Take a walk with your child
- play ball
- run and skip
- pretend to be different animals
- play in the park together
- dance to music
- jump and hop
- have a “family play time”
Do not use food as a reward. Give your child hugs and attention instead. Only serve sweets one in a while. Limit cookies, cakes, candies, and sodas. Some good desserts are yogurt, custard, fruit, and fruit juice popsicles.
Tasty, Quick, Easy, and Healthy! (and how to disguise stuff so your kids don’t know they are eating healthy food!)
- Pumped Up Mac and Cheese: make mac and cheese then stir in one can tuna and some canned green beans or peas–an instant casserole in your pot!
- Instant Pizza: Spread tomato paste (more flavor and nutrition than tomato sauce) directly on bread or a flour tortilla or pita bread. Sprinkle in Italian seasoning and top with chopped leftover meats or lunch meat and a sprinkel of graed cheese. Heat in toaster oven. Use less cheese–still delicious but way less calories!
- Breakfast Wrap: Cut a slice of lunch meat and a slice of cheese in half and line them all up in the center of a corn or flour tortilla. Microwave for 15 seconds. Then add salsa if you like and roll it up! (whole wheat tortillas are most nutritious)
- Kids’ Carrot Salas: If you get them to try this, they will love it. Peel and grate some carrots. Add raisins and/or chopped apples. Stir in just enough low-fat sour cream or plain or vanilla yogurt to moisten. Add just a little bit of frozen concentrated lemonade to sweeten. Add a pinch of cinnamon for a flavor-punch.
- Easiest Fruit Salad–Everyone Loves It: use any combination of fruit you have. Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, grapes, etc. For the “dressing”, use a tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir. Kids absolutely love it and the orange juice keeps fruit from turning brown overnight if you have left-overs.
- Sneaky Snack Cake: Use a spice cake mix. Follow directions but instead of oil, use applesauce in the same amount. Add two cups grated carrots and/or a cup of raisins. Bake a little longer than the directions call for. Sneaky Snack Cake is delicious and moist without frosting and “sneaks” in some fruits and vegetables.
- Rice and Beans Make a Protein Equal to Meat: When eaten in the same meal, rice and beans or tortillas and beans combine to make a complete protein. If you soak beans or rice overnight or for a few hours, you can cook them covered, and with water, in a microwave.
- Eggs and Banana Pancakes: Take 2 eggs, 1 ripe banana, and cooking spray for pan. Mash the ripe banana well and whisk in eggs. Warm nonstick or cast iron pan to medium, spray with oil. Cok silver dollar size pancakes 30 seconds on each side and serve.
Healthy Homemade Pizza
Utilize local seasonal foods that support healthy hearts.
- Dark leafy greens include kale, chard, and collards. These are good sources of Vitamins A, C, and K and also contain the minerals iron, potassium, and calcium. They also have phytochemicals that may help to defend against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Greens are easy to care for in a garden and grow well in the winter cold…some varieties taste even better after a frost.
- Garlic is touted as a defender against heart disease, cancer, and the common cold. It is also a fructooligosaccharide, which means it is a popular food for all the healthy bacteria that reside in the gut. Our immune system and digestive health rely heavily on the health of the bacteria (probiotics) in our GI tract. When we eat garlic, we not only get all of the wonderful benefits of garlic but we also pass good food along to our friendly bacteria residents. There are several varieties of garlic, each with a different flavor profile. While most grocery stores carry one or two garlic varieties, you will find more at the farmers markets. Local farmers can grow garlic through the winter and offer a much wider range of varieties.
- Pistachios are rich in protein, fiber, minerals, and B vitamins. They are also packed with healthy fats. Eating foods with protein, fiber, and fat help you to stay fuller longer and provide satiety to your meals. In addition, there is evidence that pistachios may lower the risk of heart disease.
“Hearty Pizza”
Crust (courtesy of the blog Simply Quinoa):
- 3/4 cup quinoa, soaked for 6-8 hours (or overnight)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 9″ cake pan with parchment paper and drizzle one tablespoon of oil in the center. Spread around until evenly coated and set pan aside.
- Thoroughly rinse quinoa, then add to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy. This should resemble a thick pancake batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove, flip, and return to oven to bake for another 10-15 minutes until browned and edges are crispy.
Toppings:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dark leafy greens (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup goat cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over bake crust. Follow with garlic, apricots, leafy greens, and goat cheese.
- Bake 7-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and drizzle with hone, then sprinkle with pistachios.
Eggs Mexicali
Need:
- 2 cups salsa or tomato sauce
- 15 oz can of beans (pinto, black, etc) rinsed and drained, or 2 cups cooked beans
- 6-8 eggs
- 1/4 cup cheese, grated
Recipe Directions:
- Combine salsa and beans in a pan
- cook over medium heat stirring until the mixture boils
- crack each egg and place over the mixture one at a time
- cover with a lid and cook until the eggs are firm–about 6 minutes
- sprinkle with grated cheese and heat until the chees melts
- serve with tortillas and rice. Serves 4-6