Healthy Food: Creating Healthy Eating Habits, Part 1

Friday, April 15, 2011

Creating Healthy Eating Habits, Part 1

“How do I change my child’s eating habits?” This is a question that I am asked at least once a week, thus it is worthy of a post :) ! Honestly this is not highly complex. It boils down to you, the parents or guardians. If you are eating healthy food choices and demonstrating healthy eating habits your kids will do the same. Don’t get me wrong this may not be a smooth transition depending on the age of the child, but it is definitely achievable. In my experience with kids (pre school and grade school) if you show that you are apprehensive or unsure about anything from food to activities, kids will sense it and feed off of it. It goes both ways though! If you make it fun and are excited about what you are going to do or eat and get the kids involved on whatever level is age appropriate they will be more likely to want to try it and like it!

I have decided that I am going to dedicate the next few Friday's to KIDS and creating Healthy Habits.

My boys eat very healthy and eat pretty much anything I put in front of them. I pride myself on their eating habits. Our baby has only had limited grains and limited dairy. I wish I could say he hasn't had either but he has. I, like many moms, offered my baby O's to help teach eating bigger foods and to entertain him while we are finishing dinner. I pride myself that he prefers peas, carrots and diced up zucchini over the O's now. Although, O's are easier to clean up and easily storable in the diaper bag for a quick grab. Now that baby is getting bigger it is so important for us to offer REAL foods to him and encourage vegetables.

Baby and 3 year old love eating vegetables. They each have a half of avocado daily (sometimes every other). Our 3 year old loves fruits and vegetables. He sneaks apples and oranges as snacks. The other night, 3 year old went out to dinner with his Aunt and Uncle. I asked him what he was going to get and he said "hamburger and brussels sprouts" He was so excited.

I do understand my boys are young and we starting eating healthy from day 1 so creating this plan was easier but I plan on having a few friends write a blurp on how they get they older kids to eat and eat healthier choices. I am really looking forward to this little series! Please make sure to comment... I love hearing from you!

IN THE NEWS:

Did you happen to see the article this week about the Chicago school banning homemade lunches???

I mean, seriously? I wanted to think this was some joke. A late April Fool's joke. Unfortunately it is not. A school in Chicago is baning homemade lunches. I am not too much into politics but this ban is flat our wrong. What about our freedoms? What about the US being the greatest country in the world? That is hard to believe today.

This may be only one school but its in Chicago. Its in one of the biggest cities in the world. If it was in some small city then it may not have made headlines.

I do understand the importance of limiting the amount of sugar and junk the kids are eating. The school, or should I say, the teachers, experience the sugar affects on the children. The sugar highs and lows. Why ban all school lunches, though? Why not compromise and accept lunches that do not contain white flour, refined sugar, or other "processed" foods, like a Tucson, Arizona School started last year.

To me - I agree that we need to limit the amount of junk food entering our children but at the same time I know that the school is not going to have my high standards on meat and vegetables. Why would I want my child to eat a FACTORY beef burger or some FACTORY chicken dish.