It’s that time
of the year again.
You know what I’m talking about, your sweatpants agree with
me, diet time! Swim suit season is only six months away, so we have plenty of
time to start this New Year’s resolutions. Instead of dieting, let’s look at
some ways that we can start shedding the pounds by making life style changes,
starting with what we feed our kids.
If you’re
anything like me, your kids drive your bonkers most days and you eat snacks
that aren’t the healthiest, and let’s not mention portion control. Most days I’m
grazing off their plates or eating right out of the snack boxes. My kids are
picking up on these habits too, not such a good thing, if we all want to eat
healthier. So here are a few ideas!
Independent
Grazers
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| My Tupperware bowl, you can add raisins, pretzels, whole wheat crackers, oreos, etc in snack bags too! |
Kids between the ages of 2 and 101 like to
have control. They begin developing a sense of independence the moment they
take their first breathe; at around two they really like to tell us, they can
do things themselves, so why not let them develop a keen edge on portion
control? My kids are grazers and very independent. So each time I go to the
grocery store, I purchase a variety of healthy snacks and some not so healthy
snacks. When I get home, I put the serving into snack bags and throw it all
into the bowl. It sits in the bottom of my pantry where they can grab a snack
when they want.
This also goes the same for my refrigerator. I have
apples, cuties, whole and some in baggies with a little bit of lemon juice,
sitting in my crisper drawer.
This idea is great to not only help give them
independence, teach proper portions, but it’s great when you’re in the run to
the next dance recital or park. Just grab a few bags and go!
Lunch Time
Lunch time
is another area where we tend to get stuck in a rut, either we think our kids won’t
eat it, or we are tired of the choices we have. So make the choices you have
fun and visit one of my favorite sites that my friend Stacy directed me to, www.superhealthykids.com. Here is what I do for lunch because my kids
like it simple.
Elijah’s green tray with snowman
turkey, star whole wheat bread and string cheese.
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| Fun lunch with snowman and start cookie cutters, the kids can help create the shapes. |
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| Okay I had to add the pink tray picture, per Tori's request, She didn't think it was fair to upload just her brother's! |
RECAP
1. Purchase snacks and snack baggies.
2. Read the labels of your snacks and scoop the measured portion into baggies.
3. For fresh fruit, make a few bags ahead of time, wash and slice, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
4. Designate an area in your pantry for your kids and a drawer in your fridge.
5. Less whining and hearing "I'm hungry" from your child, and they are learning the proper portions!
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