Healthy Foods
Eat Like a Kid!
by Leanne Ely, CNC
How many times do I have to tell you to eat your vegetables? Yes, I’m talking to you! Truth be told, it’s not just the kids who don’t eat their veggies, but adults too, are failing to get the right amount of veggies in their diet. We have no problem lecturing our kids about eating vegetables, but it seems that our veggie reputation is losing street cred! I know I say over and over to add veggies every chance you get into your diet and maybe you get tired of my lecturing (no, I will not stop!), but the countless benefits of eating this way are amazing–if you want optimum health, yes you will eat your veggies at every meal!
Let’s talk about snacking for a minute. You know how kids love to snack–well, adults do too. If you can avoid snacking before dinner (unless you have a big gap–let’s say 4 hours before dinner time), you’ll be appropriately hungry come mealtime. If you snack on your dinner while you cook it, then you’ll sit down with a practically full stomach and eat more than you need–yes, it counts when you eat standing up!
The last little thing I really want to encourage you to do is sitting as a family to eat. I am not talking about having a three-course meal every night, just a simple meal. If you schedule it, you can afford to take 30 minutes out of day to sit down together. Having that nightly ritual of dinner together is not just important for your kids, but for you to be fundamentally involved in their lives. Community with your own family is worth more than anything else–don’t forget it!
If you’re ready to commit to getting your family to the table night after night, try these great menus to make it happen: COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE