FAMILY NUTRITION, HEALTH AND FITNESS
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family nutrition
- 10 Fantastic Foods for Kids
- Nutrition Tips
- Top 5 foods
- foods that keep you young
- ways to lower your cholesterol
- Lose Weight and Improve your Mood
- De-Stressing Tips
- Get Your Omega 3's!
- Eat Chocolate!
- The Truth About Diets
- Exercise: It's Child's Play
- Milk Drinking
- Soy Happy
- Gut Instinct
- Back to Basics
- Smile & Say Cheese
- Water Shortage
- Honey Buzz
- Legumes
- Preventing Diabetes
- Hand Washing
Super Snack Time
Read more about family nutrition at ChrisSare4Kids.com!
Getting your little ones to eat healthy snacks doesn't have to be an uphill battle. Just make those healthy foods more fun.
• Keep portion sizes small. For a preschooler, a few bites or one-quarter of a cup is a good size.
• Finger foods are fun. Sandwiches can cut in strips or triangles. Cheese and meat can be cut bite-sized. Fresh fruit can be cut in strips or chunks.
• Vary the colors and textures of foods, from bright peaches and watermelon to crunchy carrots and crackers to creamy yogurt and cheese.
• Use snack choices to balance out meals so your child eats the right amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein foods.
• Don't have forbidden foods in the house.
• Be patient but persistent. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) says children often won't eat a new food. They need to see it from eight to 15 times before they accept it.
• Ages 2 to 4 are a key time for exploring new foods and for developing tastes that will last a lifetime, says the AICR. New foods are often better accepted by young children ages 2 to 4 than by older children ages 4 to 8.
• For preschoolers, says the American Dietetic Association (ADA), plan on two or three snacks per day, plus three meals.
• Time snacks so they are two hours or more before mealtime, so your child will be hungry for his meal.
• Don't offer food to reward behavior or soothe emotions, says the ADA. That might contribute to emotional overeating.
• Remember you are a role model, so eat healthfully yourself for meals and snacks. This applies to fathers, too.
• Finger foods are fun. Sandwiches can cut in strips or triangles. Cheese and meat can be cut bite-sized. Fresh fruit can be cut in strips or chunks.
• Vary the colors and textures of foods, from bright peaches and watermelon to crunchy carrots and crackers to creamy yogurt and cheese.
• Use snack choices to balance out meals so your child eats the right amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein foods.
• Don't have forbidden foods in the house.
• Be patient but persistent. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) says children often won't eat a new food. They need to see it from eight to 15 times before they accept it.
• Ages 2 to 4 are a key time for exploring new foods and for developing tastes that will last a lifetime, says the AICR. New foods are often better accepted by young children ages 2 to 4 than by older children ages 4 to 8.
• For preschoolers, says the American Dietetic Association (ADA), plan on two or three snacks per day, plus three meals.
• Time snacks so they are two hours or more before mealtime, so your child will be hungry for his meal.
• Don't offer food to reward behavior or soothe emotions, says the ADA. That might contribute to emotional overeating.
• Remember you are a role model, so eat healthfully yourself for meals and snacks. This applies to fathers, too.
LIP-SMACKIN' SNACKS
Here are a few suggestions from the American Dietetic Association (ADA). These are organized by food group for easy menu planning, but you can combine food groups, as with cheese and crackers, fruit and yogurt, or raw vegetables with a yogurt dip. Use your imagination and sense of adventure. (For children under 4, says the ADA, avoid popcorn, nuts, seeds and other small, hard whole foods that might cause choking. For raw carrots, grapes and cooked hot dogs, cut into small pieces.)
Grain and Cereal Group (preferably whole grain)
• Animal crackers
• Cereal (dry or with milk), not the high-sugar kind
• Toasted English muffin (top it with ricotta cheese and applesauce for a combined snack)
• Graham crackers
• Cereal (dry or with milk), not the high-sugar kind
• Toasted English muffin (top it with ricotta cheese and applesauce for a combined snack)
• Graham crackers
Milk and Cheese Group
• String cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Cottage cheese
• Yogurt
• Milk
Vegetable Group
• Broccoli florets (cut into tiny florets)
• Skinny carrot sticks
• Vegetable soup
• Skinny carrot sticks
• Vegetable soup
Fruit Group
• Apple slices
• Fruit cocktail (no sugar added)
• Melon strips
• Fruit cocktail (no sugar added)
• Melon strips
Meat and Beans Group
• Hard-cooked egg
• Turkey cubes
• Tuna salad
• Turkey cubes
• Tuna salad
