Making Healthier Choices for the Family in the New Year

Family Nutrition by the kids, for the kids, and with the kids

Somehow I think our children's knowledge about what it means to eat more healthily has been increasing faster than their older counterparts. Do you agree?  Here are a few tidbits from my reading on kids being good friends and teachers, with a quote from a quarterback.

According to a study reviewed by Stone Hearth Newsletter (December 2011) last month, 44 percent of kids recommended to stay away from fried/deep fried food when possible and to choose vegetables. 

* Lowering your number to two times per week, replacing the crunch with a few vegetables that crunch or a whole tomato will help move your palate toward a new balance of choices

Kids also noted that satiating protein (the kind that makes you feel full and satisfied) includes cooked beans, grains, nuts, seeds. Along with serving-sized chicken, beef, or fish, trimmed of most skin and fat. If you're not sure if you're "finished eating," try to distract yourself for 10-20 minutes before eating more.  You might not want to!

* If you like the fat, try dark meat and just a few bites of skin and chew each piece mindfully with a swig of your beverage in between bites.

Finally, professional football player, Hines Ward, advises kids in their success with weight management to be smart:

* "Get your friends to help make good choices. Ask your parents not to buy junk food or certain high-calorie things." This step makes it easier for the whole family to have better eating habits. 

* "Calcium sources - cup of milk, yogurt, fat free cheese, cottage cheese - are satiating and make great snacks in small amounts when energy and alertness are needed for performance." Be sure to add water or low-cal fluids, too. 

Katherine T Rivard, RD, LD

Writer, Speaker, Wellness and Mindful Eating...Steps At a Time

kthisriv@gmail.com 

763-370-9569(t)