Tag: Mini-series

Family Feeding, kids

Mini-Series Part 3: Healthy Kids

rachaelcostello

Welcome back for the final post in my mini-series.  Since this is just a mini-series, I am going to keep it short and simple with my top ten tips for feeding healthy kids!

 

Ten Tips for Feeding Healthy Kids

  1. Teach your kids to cook and let them help!  I mentioned this before but it truly is the foundation for healthy eating.
  2. Make dinner (or any other meal that everyone is home for) a priority as family time in your home. Eating together has an amazing impact on families nutritionally, emotionally, and socially.
  3. Offer variety, and try new foods.
  4. Do not force children to finish their meal.  They are learning to listen to their body signals.  If they are truly full, they should not have to finish everything.  This can lead to many eating issues down the road.
  5. Snack on fruits and vegetables and do not allow snacking close to meal times.
  6. Do not make foods “for the kids.”  Everyone should be eating the same foods at meals.  Kids may take a few tries before liking a new food, but they are very capable to eating and liking “adult food.”  Do not become discouraged when you offer something 5 times and they do not like it.  It can take many more attempts.  Just continue to offer new foods.
  7. Lead by example- eat healthy foods yourself.  Kids are very good mirrors…
  8. Allow treats from time to time.  If you restrict certain foods, there becomes a greater desire to indulge in them.
  9. Exercise!  Playing outside is exercise- promote physical activity.
  10. Menu plan- when you take the time to plan your weekly menu, you will have healthy choices ready every night, instead of grabbing that frozen pizza at the last minute!

 

Thank you for reading, and watch for my May posts about the upcoming Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 14-20.

Cheers,

Rachael

 

 

Family Feeding

Mini-Series: Eating On the Go

rachaelcostello

Thanks for stopping in for part two of my mini-series: Eating On the Go.  We live in a go-go-go society.  We have little free time and have to multi-task to get everything done each day.  Often times that means eating on the go.  Unfortunately, the choices we make when we are out are not usually healthy.  Drive-thrus, convenience foods and high calorie drinks are easy and quick to pick up.  Since our lifestyles do not seem to be slowing down, here are some tips for eating healthy when on the go.

  1. Bring your own food!  This takes preparation but will make a huge difference in your health and pocketbook.  It gets expensive to eat out all the time.  You can pack breakfast, snacks, and lunch.  (More on packable ideas later)
  2. Always have water with you. It is your best choice for a beverage.  There are other good options: tea, sparkling water, coconut water to name a few.  If you are a coffee drinker, make it at home and bring it along.
  3. Eat a healthy breakfast before you leave the house. (or lunch, or dinner depending on when you leave) If you can eat a full meal before heading out, you will not feel the need to snack so soon.
  4. Do not wait until you are starving to eat.  Poor choices are often made when we are very hungry.  If you know that 10am is a normal snack time for you, plan to have a snack around that time.

So you are ready to pack your food and avoid the fast food line.  What do you pack?

 

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Breakfast Ideas:

  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Fruit
  • Greek yogurt and fruit and/or granola
  • Granola bar
  • Oatmeal
  • Smoothie (my favorite breakfast idea!)

 

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Snacks:

  • Veggies and hummus
  • Almond butter and carrots
  • Nuts- unsalted
  • Fruit
  • Dried fruit
  • Granola bars, homemade if possible!
  • Nut mix- like almonds, raisins and dark chocolate chips

 

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Lunch:

  • Salad packed with protein and healthy fats:  like seeds, nuts, hard-boiled eggs, and avocado
  • Veggie wraps with hummus
  • Tuna and cucumbers
  • Chicken sausage
  • Leftovers from dinner the night before

 

Thanks for stopping by, keep an eye out for part three of the mini-series later this week!

Rachael

 

Family Feeding

Mini- Series: Healthy Home

rachaelcostello

Today I am starting a mini-series on how to feed a healthy home.  I get many questions about picky eaters, healthy food choices for kids, eating on the go and meal planning.  I am going to address meal planning first as I think it is an important first step for anyone trying to be healthy.

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What is meal planning??  Meal planning is a way to think out what will be prepared for a set amount of time.  I personally meal plan for 1-2 weeks at a time but it can be whatever length of time works for your family.  This is an important step to living a  more healthy life.  Planning ahead can keep you out of the fast-food drive thru and from resorting to convenience foods.  When you know what you are making and have the ingredients on hand, you are much more likely to prepare a nourishing meal.

Here are the steps to follow for successful planning:

  1. Decide what length of time you want to plan for.  I recommend starting with one week at a time. Have your calendar available so you can plan around different events on your schedule.
  2. Decide if you are planning 3 meals a day, just dinner, or any combination.  
  3. Brainstorm meals you like to prepare, meals the family enjoys, meals you want to try.
  4. Review your schedule: If there is a night when many activities are going on, it would not be a great night to prepare a thanksgiving-style turkey dinner!  Plan the more involved meals for days when you know there is adequate time.  On busy nights, either plan a make ahead meal, have a leftovers night or sandwiches night.
  5. Write down what you will have each night, using meals you wrote down in step 3.  Variety is great, so try not to serve similar meals consecutively.  Take into consideration your schedule.
  6. Review the meals and determine what needs to be bought at the store and what you already have on hand.
  7. Post your menu in the house so the whole family can look forward to meals of the week!

Other considerations:

Let your kids and other family members get involved.  Ask for their ideas and assistance.  When you involve the family in the process there is a much higher rate of acceptance at the dinner table.  Planning, shopping and cooking with kids is my #1 tip for avoiding picky eating habits.  When the kids have a hand in cooking, they want to try the food and they want to like it!  I will have a future post dedicated to cooking with kids, so look for that soon.

Be creative.  Try one new meal a week.  It is easy to get into a rut and prepare the same meals over and over.  If new foods are being introduced regularly, kids will learn to try new things.  Also, consider non-traditional dinner foods.  Breakfast for dinner, soup and sandwiches, or appetizers are examples of thinking outside the “dinner” box.

Enjoy making the time to sit down and eat together.  Turn off electronics, focus on each other and your meal.  Planning your meals is worth it, I hope you will try it!

Cheers

Rachael