All That And A Bag of Chips!

So I had dinner with a friend of mine last week and all she did was complain about how much junk food her kids ate.

I sat there and listened… and listened… and listened…

Here’s the thing – JUST DON’T BUY IT.

If you have chips,
Kids will eat them.
If you have cookies,
Kids will eat them.
If you have chocolate bars,
Kids will eat them.

Here’s the other thing - KIDS DON’T HAVE MONEY.

So, JUST DON’T BUY IT!

Since when was little Billy the breadwinner? Apparently the paper route is paying much more money than when I was a kid… *note to self… switch careers – go back to delivering papers…

Don’t complain about what your kids are eating because you, as their parent, are supplying them with their food choices.

There are lots of healthy options out there… gone are the days of rice cakes people!

Yes, we are all busy. And yes, buying “bagged” anything is easy because when your kid comes home from school or summer camp or where ever and you’re still working, but they are hungry, it’s easy for them to open that bag and munch, munch, munch.

Here is sad statistic #485 regarding kids and eating right:
A biomedical researcher at Louisiana State University found that “potato chips and french fries make up more than one-quarter of the vegetable servings eaten by children, and nearly one-third of the vegetables eaten by teen-agers”!

Try this for a week:

Avoid buying processed foods.

How can you tell if it’s processed? Well, the biggest factor is that it keeps forever. Take a look at the date on that flavored coffee creamer tomorrow morning. Since when does milk stay fresh for up to 4 months!

Here are a few other clues:

• The food is produced and manufactured;
• It’s neat and convenient;
• It’s always the same;
• It contains artificial flavors;
• There are lot’s of commercials selling it; and 
• There is no connection to land or culture.

Chips, french fries, sugary drinks and other processed foods are high in trans fats, sodium, and high fructose corn syrup – none of which is good for your health.

Here is a good rule of thumb  - try to make sure half of all you and your family consume is raw. Carrots, apples, zucchini, lettuce, peas, melons, onions, tomatos, broccoli, peppers, spinach… just visit the fresh food area of any local grocery store or go to a farmers market.

Here are a few tips on incorporating healthy snacks into your family’s routine:

1. Prepare Snacks in Advance. Make your own granola, trail mix or dips like hummus and yogurt. Cut up carrots, celery and fruit, then put them in separate baggies for a quick grab by a hungry kid.
2. Snack Healthy on the Go. Keep healthy snack options like whole what crackers, apples or bananas in the car or in a backpack.
3. Read serving sizes. If you have to go pre-made read labels. Often times what appears to be one serving can really be two or three. That means you can triple the amout of fat, calories, sugar, and sodium on the label.

Here is great snack that will keep tummies full and your kids going for hours!

Crunch Munchy Muddle Mix

Ingredients:
1 cup whole-grain toasted oat cerealy
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients for a healthy trail mix. Place in snack size baggies for separate servings.

For more recipes visit www.snackertracker.com