Hints for Eating at Home

Most of us eat excessive amounts of refined carbohydrates and our kids start getting hooked at a young age. Here are some ways to change up eating at home, to nourish healthy kids who have eating habits they can keep through adulthood.

1. If you won't eat it yourself, don't feed it to your kids! You can find delicious wholesome food for that the whole family will love. Not sure where to start? Read on for some great snack and meal ideas.

2. Remove temptation from the kitchen. Do a thorough clean out of the cupboards and get rid of all the unhealthy quick fixes that you and the kids go for. Instead of crackers/ chips test out some of these easy, healthy snacks:

• Carrots and humus

• Slices of green apple with thin slices of Parmesan cheese

• Dried fruit with nuts (trail mix-it-yourself)

• Carrot sticks with peanut butter or sunflower butter if your kids go to a peanut free school

• Seaweed snacks

• If you're really craving crackers, try out nut thins for a healthier alternative

3. Playground time isn't snack time. It's amazing the snacks that come out during a visit to the local playground: graham crackers, ritz crackers, goldfish, cheerios. These snack food are full of highly refined carbs that your kids will work off after a few runs down the slide, leaving them hungry again. Plan on visiting the park and then heading home for a more filling snack or meal with healthy whole grains, protein, and healthy fats. Or if you need an on the go snack try an apple or some carrots.

4. Drink juice in moderation. It's all too common for fruit juice to become a default beverage for kids. Juice is not a substitute for water and it's full of sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no juice for infants under 6 months, 4 to 6 ounces daily for kids from 1 to 6 and a maximum of 12 ounces daily for kids over 6. Try to consider juice a treat, and remember that it doesn't have any nutrients that can't be found in fruit. Alternate drinks for you and your kids:

• Tea (chamomile, mint)

• Sparkling water

• For the occasional treat try homemade lemonade with agave nectar or honey or

• Homemade hot chocolate with coco powder, honey, and whole milk

5. Watch the refined carbs in school lunches and during family dinners. Some ways you can tweak your kid's favorite meals to make them healthy and yummy:

• Mac and Cheese - trade quinoa pasta (fun fact: quinoa is gluten free and a complete protein!) for macaroni and stir in some green peas. You can even use the cheese packet from a standard mac and cheese box (like Annie's) to make this a quick and healthy dinner.

• Burritos – Try spelt tortillas, cheese, and refried beans

• Organic chicken nuggets

• Sandwich and Soup – Lentil soups are great and for a sandwich you can try a turkey sandwich on Sara Lee's white whole wheat buns.

What's your family's favorite snack? Email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)!