Healthy Eating For Kids

It's not as hard as it may seem. Healthy eating for kids can become a habit. Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

• Make good decisions in the grocery store and you won't be tempted to serve 'junk' at home - simply because you won't have it in the pantry.

• Buy locally grown or organic produce whenever possible.

• Avoid pesticides as much as possible. Soak produce for 5 minutes in an organic cleaner to remove dirt and surface pesticides.

• Have fresh fruits and vegetables available at all times to offer as snacks and/or desserts.

• Offer plenty of fresh, pure water (reverse osmosis purification is preferred).

• Avoid processed foods. Generally, if it's in a box or package, it's processed.

• Read labels. If the first 5 ingredients don't sound like something you want to eat, don't buy it.

• Buy 100% whole wheat bread.

• Avoid hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

• Choose a high quality multivitamin for the whole family.

Here's a sample of a typical days' meals for our family.

Healthy Nutrition for Kids: Breakfast

• Fresh fruit

• Organic milk mixed with soy powder (our son likes the cocoa flavor).

• Stone-ground oatmeal or scrambled eggs

• Children's chewable multivitamin

• Probiotic supplement (This replensihes the body's 'good bacteria' and is especially great for our son, since he is often taking daily asthma medications).

Healthy Nutrition for Kids: Lunch

• Sandwich made with organic peanut butter, jelly, and 100% whole wheat bread

• Fresh vegetable of choice (we usually have peas, green beans, broccoli, or carrots)

• Fresh fruit of choice

• Pure water

Healthy Nutrition for Kids: Snacks

• Fresh fruit of choice
  Here's a picture of the fresh grapefruit available in the backyard of a family friend. They also have oranges, papaya, and sometimes, mango. To our son, it's heaven to have fresh fruit in such abundance. To us, it's great because we're getting fruit picked right from the tree, with no pesticides. And it tastes delicious.
  
  
  
• Whole wheat crackers with cheese

• Soy protein snack bar (our kids prefer chocolate or lemon-cranberry)

• Veggie sticks with cream cheese

• Homemade oatmeal raisin cookies

• Fig bars

• Organic yogurt

Healthy Eating for Kids: Dinner

• Organic milk or soy milk

• Chicken or fish (preferably free-range or wild-caught, if available)

• Fresh green vegetable of choice

• Fresh starchy vegetable of choice (sweet potato or squash) OR

• Whole grain pasta

• Fresh fruit of choice

• Chewable multivitamin

• Chewable C

If you'd like to know more about our family's healthy eating and nutrition plan, let us know here.

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