Food Tips
No Fast Food Friday???
April 15, 2011 - 01:38 PM
Oh - I LOVE IT!! Surprise! Note the sarcasm in my voice - ha ha - my kids are rolling their eyes right now. . . oh well!
My first thought was . . . Could we get our schools to take this on!??! Oooooooo -
Then I read the blog - and it is good - it is geared toward the family - a great idea - and that is why I am sharing it with you today!!
The recipes look delicious too! Check this out - I really related to the part where it is Friday, and we are tired of it ALL - and fast food just seems easy. . . . .I know I am exhausted today - but after reading this article, I thought. . . I could do this. . . . let me know what you think! The tip on my healthy calendar for today says “ Make your own healthy pizzas by using whole wheat pita bread and adding a variety of healthy toppings.” Another way to make No Fast Food Friday a success!
No Fast Food Friday
My first thought was . . . Could we get our schools to take this on!??! Oooooooo -
Then I read the blog - and it is good - it is geared toward the family - a great idea - and that is why I am sharing it with you today!!
The recipes look delicious too! Check this out - I really related to the part where it is Friday, and we are tired of it ALL - and fast food just seems easy. . . . .I know I am exhausted today - but after reading this article, I thought. . . I could do this. . . . let me know what you think! The tip on my healthy calendar for today says “ Make your own healthy pizzas by using whole wheat pita bread and adding a variety of healthy toppings.” Another way to make No Fast Food Friday a success!
No Fast Food Friday
So - this being Friday’s post. . . . . . don’t forget to sign up for the Cardston Kids Marathon!!!
Register online, or run down to the Cardston Elementary School
(depending on where you live, you could add those couple of miles to your log - if you don’t drive. . . . )
The bell rings at 1:05pm I think. . . . . Tick Tock!!!
Check out the clock at the top of the website !!
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A tricky balance
April 21, 2010 - 06:15 AM
On the one hand, parents are told to worry that their children will become obese. On the other hand, mothers of girls in particular are told to worry that their daughters will develop anorexia. How can there be an epidemic of both things at the same time, and what should a parent be doing about both?
By Lisa Belkin
Helping your kids stay healthy and fit without pushing them too far in either direction requires careful parenting. The number one thing you can do as a parent is to set a good example, starting when your children are very young. Make preparing and eating nutritious foods a priority in your house, and share with your kids the many benefits of eating healthy foods like vegetables and fruits. When you’re talking about healthy eating, emphasize those benefits that resonate with your child such as performing better at school, running faster on the field or gym class or feeling more confident. Your message should not be about attaining a certain weight or having a smaller body. These types of comments can have devastating effects on a child’s self esteem. And don’t discuss your own weight issues or dieting in front of young kids. They’re easily influenced by your struggles with food and the scale.
While you’re encouraging good habits, don’t make the mistake of obsessing over treat foods. If you make a big deal out of banning these foods outright, your children will develop an unhealthy relationship with them that will follow them into adulthood. In the Bauer household, we often have cookies and chocolate in the house. In fact, full disclosure, my youngest daughter, Ayden Jane, wants to be a cake decorator.
It can feel like a tricky balance — encouraging good eating habits without being too rigid. It may take some time to find out what works best for your family, but it’s worth the effort. If your child has a weight issue and you’re worried about handling it in a sensitive and effective way, consider making an appointment with a registered dietitian who specializes in pediatrics — with or without your child present, depending upon the circumstances and age — to discuss the best approach.
By Lisa Belkin
Helping your kids stay healthy and fit without pushing them too far in either direction requires careful parenting. The number one thing you can do as a parent is to set a good example, starting when your children are very young. Make preparing and eating nutritious foods a priority in your house, and share with your kids the many benefits of eating healthy foods like vegetables and fruits. When you’re talking about healthy eating, emphasize those benefits that resonate with your child such as performing better at school, running faster on the field or gym class or feeling more confident. Your message should not be about attaining a certain weight or having a smaller body. These types of comments can have devastating effects on a child’s self esteem. And don’t discuss your own weight issues or dieting in front of young kids. They’re easily influenced by your struggles with food and the scale.
While you’re encouraging good habits, don’t make the mistake of obsessing over treat foods. If you make a big deal out of banning these foods outright, your children will develop an unhealthy relationship with them that will follow them into adulthood. In the Bauer household, we often have cookies and chocolate in the house. In fact, full disclosure, my youngest daughter, Ayden Jane, wants to be a cake decorator.
It can feel like a tricky balance — encouraging good eating habits without being too rigid. It may take some time to find out what works best for your family, but it’s worth the effort. If your child has a weight issue and you’re worried about handling it in a sensitive and effective way, consider making an appointment with a registered dietitian who specializes in pediatrics — with or without your child present, depending upon the circumstances and age — to discuss the best approach.
A little more from Joy Bauer
April 12, 2010 - 06:09 AM
Are “Kid Friendly” Foods a Defeat?
By LISA BELKIN
A publisher sent me the galleys of the wrong book a few months ago. William Morrow meant to send me a parenting book to review, but instead a cookbook arrived in the mail.
Called “Slim and Scrumptious,” with a sleek photo of its author, the nutritionist Joy Bauer, on the cover, I figured it was a book about low-cal entertaining, and I left it on the kitchen counter unread. Later that night I came down and found that my son had dog-eared the recipes he hoped I would make. Mac and cheese, chicken-lettuce wraps, pork fajitas, sesame chicken, spaghetti Bolognese, hamburgers, chocolate pudding. Seems this was a book of healthy versions of recipes that kids would eat — sophisticated, slimmed down versions, at that — and since that day we have systematically made every dish my son prescreened. The only people happier than the children at our house are the adults.
Like practically every family in the United States, we struggle with balancing healthy food with kid-friendly food and adult-palate food with easy-to-get-on-the-table food. Apparently Bauer, who is a private-nutrition consultant, as well as a regular health-and-diet contributor to the “Today Show,” has the same struggles at her house. The book I received by mistake is out in stores today, and I interviewed her recently about how to fill the needs of everyone in the family at once.
Q.
Are “kid foods” a defeat? It feels like shortchanging my children — nutritionally, aesthetically — to serve macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers. On the other hand, it seems to be all they will eat.
Don’t feel guilty about serving standard kid fare. The fact is, most children have very different palates than adults. Strong tastes — onions, garlic, spices, sharp cheese, bitter vegetables and the like — aren’t usually well received. Kids do better with more neutral-flavored foods like chicken, pasta, rice and mild cheeses. And, let’s face it, as parents we all appreciate the convenience of frozen or packaged foods, especially on busy weeknights.
Here’s my advice when it comes to tackling this issue. Try to limit convenience or packaged foods, such as frozen chicken nuggets and pizza, to two to three nights a week. Look for brands with clean ingredients that are low in saturated fat and salt. At the same time, and most importantly, learn to prepare healthier, homemade versions of these very same foods in your own kitchen using lean meats, low-fat dairy, whole grains and added vegetables.
For example, use lean ground turkey meat for burgers, tacos and meatballs. And whip up kid-friendly mac and cheese using whole-grain pasta, 2 percent reduced fat cheddar cheese and skim milk. Make delicious low-fat fries by cutting up white and sweet potatoes into strips, misting them with olive or canola oil and baking them in the oven. And no matter what you cook as your main fare, always try to serve additional vegetables on the side and use gentle encouragement to get your kids to try them.
Lastly, don’t rely on “kid foods” every night of the week. Continually try out new foods and recipes — healthy renditions of beef or shrimp stir-fry, chicken parm, even hoisen-glazed salmon — and make it a policy for your kids to take at least one bite. If you encourage them to sample new foods regularly as they grow older and their taste buds evolve, they’ll be more likely to enjoy a healthy variety. You may have to try some foods over and over before they meet approval, but eventually your kids might even start requesting them.
By LISA BELKIN
A publisher sent me the galleys of the wrong book a few months ago. William Morrow meant to send me a parenting book to review, but instead a cookbook arrived in the mail.
Called “Slim and Scrumptious,” with a sleek photo of its author, the nutritionist Joy Bauer, on the cover, I figured it was a book about low-cal entertaining, and I left it on the kitchen counter unread. Later that night I came down and found that my son had dog-eared the recipes he hoped I would make. Mac and cheese, chicken-lettuce wraps, pork fajitas, sesame chicken, spaghetti Bolognese, hamburgers, chocolate pudding. Seems this was a book of healthy versions of recipes that kids would eat — sophisticated, slimmed down versions, at that — and since that day we have systematically made every dish my son prescreened. The only people happier than the children at our house are the adults.
Like practically every family in the United States, we struggle with balancing healthy food with kid-friendly food and adult-palate food with easy-to-get-on-the-table food. Apparently Bauer, who is a private-nutrition consultant, as well as a regular health-and-diet contributor to the “Today Show,” has the same struggles at her house. The book I received by mistake is out in stores today, and I interviewed her recently about how to fill the needs of everyone in the family at once.
Q.
Are “kid foods” a defeat? It feels like shortchanging my children — nutritionally, aesthetically — to serve macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers. On the other hand, it seems to be all they will eat.
Don’t feel guilty about serving standard kid fare. The fact is, most children have very different palates than adults. Strong tastes — onions, garlic, spices, sharp cheese, bitter vegetables and the like — aren’t usually well received. Kids do better with more neutral-flavored foods like chicken, pasta, rice and mild cheeses. And, let’s face it, as parents we all appreciate the convenience of frozen or packaged foods, especially on busy weeknights.
Here’s my advice when it comes to tackling this issue. Try to limit convenience or packaged foods, such as frozen chicken nuggets and pizza, to two to three nights a week. Look for brands with clean ingredients that are low in saturated fat and salt. At the same time, and most importantly, learn to prepare healthier, homemade versions of these very same foods in your own kitchen using lean meats, low-fat dairy, whole grains and added vegetables.
For example, use lean ground turkey meat for burgers, tacos and meatballs. And whip up kid-friendly mac and cheese using whole-grain pasta, 2 percent reduced fat cheddar cheese and skim milk. Make delicious low-fat fries by cutting up white and sweet potatoes into strips, misting them with olive or canola oil and baking them in the oven. And no matter what you cook as your main fare, always try to serve additional vegetables on the side and use gentle encouragement to get your kids to try them.
Lastly, don’t rely on “kid foods” every night of the week. Continually try out new foods and recipes — healthy renditions of beef or shrimp stir-fry, chicken parm, even hoisen-glazed salmon — and make it a policy for your kids to take at least one bite. If you encourage them to sample new foods regularly as they grow older and their taste buds evolve, they’ll be more likely to enjoy a healthy variety. You may have to try some foods over and over before they meet approval, but eventually your kids might even start requesting them.