Healthful Snacks For Kids
January 4, 2009
Now days, more than ever children should be eating healthier. For millions of children in America consuming junk food and increased inactivity has led to obesity and an increasing number of children being above ideal weight. Not only is it important to teach your child which snacks they should eat, but educating them during the early, formidable years may help them sidestep obesity and becoming overweight in the future when they are adults. Here are some tricks on tasty healthy snacks for children.
One way for your children to eat healthy snacks is to get them started on naturally sweet foods. Since most kids crave sweets for snacks, naturally sweet foods such as fruits are ideal. Encourage them to enjoy a banana, orange, apple, cherries, strawberries and other berries whenever they have a sweet tooth. You can mix in yogurt or even make a fruit smoothie for them with some milk and a drop of chocolate or other natural flavors.
Another great way for your little ones to enjoy healthy snacks is to give them fresh nuts. Kids love peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. One of the things to recognize about children is that if they try enough types of natural and healthy snacks, they will find one that they love. The problem is that many times parents give up trying to find the snacks that their kids enjoy and settle for popular junk foods instead.
When deciding on a healthy snack, what you want to avoid are products with boatloads of sugars, unwanted preservatives and empty calories. While most kids will fight you tooth and nail if they have to eat wheat germ and tofu, most children will be more than happy to eat snacks if they have a sweet taste and are presented in the right way.
Other healthy snacks that many children like are dry cereals. For example, there are many breakfast cereals that are derived from corn, wheat, bran and include nuts and honey. These cereals when consumed at breakfast usually include milk; however, you can easily serve them without milk to your children. One of the most popular dry cereals which are healthy and nutritious for your little one at almost any age is Cheerios. Cheerios are lightly sweetened and tasty either moistened with milk or dry. If your little one craves a delicious snack for lunch or to take along for camp or little league, dry cereal is not only nutritious, but delicious.
For those children that are terribly picky and only want junk food, one strategy to use in order to get your child to eat nutritious snacks is to buy premade natural snacks. Today, there are tons of prepackaged snacks that might look like junk food, but are actually healthy and nutritious for your little one. They include certain fruit roll ups, string cheese and granola bars. Many of these snacks look like junk food, but are actually made from natural ingredients and include relatively little sugar and empty calories. If you are looking for a great way for your child to remain healthy, check out the above mentioned tricks on healthy snacks for little ones.
Dine Without Whine is a great menu planning service for active families. Go to http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com to discover even more rewards to menu planning.
New January Recipes
January 1, 2009
I hope you enjoy these new recipes for January. If the season’s festivities caused you to put on a little weight, how about a two day smoothie fast to help you drop a couple of pounds?
Grab the smoothie cookbook and get started right away.
Main Dishes:
Caramelized Onion Smothered Sirloin Steak
Italian Cheese Spinach Lasagna
Soups and Stews:
Veggies, Salads and Sides:
Caramelized Butternut Squash Custard
Sweets and Treats:
Honey and Spice Yogurt Fruit Dip
Healthy Reasons For Eating at Home
December 30, 2008
If you are looking for an easy way to achieve a healthy life for you and your family, one of the most effective ways is to eat in. Here are some useful tricks.
With our busy lifestyles, preparing your own meals is often exchanged with quick meals at fast food or casual dining dining establishments. Not only are these choices usually more cost prohibited than eating in, but also less healthy. You can dramatically improve the health benefits by staying in to eat.
Eating at Home Puts You in Control
Eating at home has many health benefits, but more importantly it gives you the options of what ingredients you decide to include or not include in your meals. Have you ever glanced at what a hamburger at a casual dining restaurant is made from- there can be tons of ingredients, some with names you haven’t heard of or are unable to pronounce. When you prepare home-cooked meals, you can keep your foods natural and basic.
Do You Have Special Dietary Needs?
Another health benefit of eating in is that if you have special dietary restrictions such as limitations on fat in your foods, you can conveniently fix dishes that accommodate your guidelines. No need to fret if the restaurant has a low salt dish or if there is any extra sugar added to a dish.
Portion Control
One of the reasons that many people have gained weight is due to the portions that many fast food restaurants give you. They are much larger than recommended. If you eat at home, you can choose the appropriate portions for you and your family members, eliminating unnecessary food intake.
Food Allergens
When you eat at home, you can be more mindful in preparing foods, especially if you or a family member has a food allergy. Food allergies many times can be serious and possibly even deadly. Preparing food at home can eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction to allergic food reaction.
Quality Time
Another benefit to preparing meals at home is the quality of time spent with each other. Everyone likes to be pampered at times so it’s okay to eat out once in a while. However, eating at home allows you to spend quality time with loved ones. Each person can take part in meal preparation so it’s a shared event. By allowing children to participate in meal planning and cooking you are teaching them valuable self-sufficiency skills. The atmosphere is more conducive to sharing stories.
Make a pledge to prepare more home-cooked meals. The benefits of eating in exceed the time it takes to prepare a home-cooked meal. Your family will thank you in the end.
Dine Without Whine is a great menu planning service for active families. Go to http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com to discover even more rewards to menu planning.
