Kids Eating Healthy

A big part of modern life these days is fast foods,
making it very hard to teach children how he or she
should eat healthy.  The cheapest and easiest foods
are those that are normally the least healthy.  If
you give your child the choice between healthy food
and junk food, you normally won't like the results.

Even though it isn't possible to get a child to like
all healthy foods, there are some ways to get your
child to try and hopefully like at least a few of
them.  You can be as creative as you like, as getting
kids to eat healthy foods can be a little harder than
you may think.

-  Sneak the healthy food in.  Even though it would
be great if your kid understood the importance of
fruits and vegetables, this isn't always possible.
If you can't get them to eat good food willingly,
there are ways to sneak them in, such as making
muffins out of bananas or apples, or pizza with
spinach on it.

-  Call fruits and vegetables by funny names.  You
can refer to broccoli as "trees", making them
more fun to eat.  There are many different names
you can call fruits and vegetables, even making up
your own if you prefer.  Most kids prefer to eat
foods that sound fun.

-  Make the foods taste better. Ranch dressing is
great for broccoli, while peanut butter is a great
topping for celery.  There are several combinations
for vegetables that can make them taste much
better.  You can let your child pick a topping
for a vegetable, even if it's something you wouldn't
normally like yourself.

-  Dress the vegetables up.  Just as much as calling
them names help kids eat healthy foods, making them
look funny also helps.  You can do this by making
funny designs on the plate, or setting them up to
look like people.  Although some parents don't like
their kids playing with their food, sometimes it
helps to get them to eat healthier.

There are several ways to make your kids eat
healthier, but to make them enjoy it also has to
be fun as well.  This isn't always an easy task,
because kids normally don't like foods that are
good for them.  It can however, be done with a bit
of creativity.  Hopefully, doing this will help
your child develop a love of healthy foods for the
rest of their lives.

 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Studies and research has shown kids                                                            who eat breakfast perform better in school and
have a healthier diet.  Eating breakfast will help
promote the proper growth and maximize school
performance as well. 

Breakfast is often times a victim of the morning
time crunch.  Even though you may be tempted to
skip breakfast, you can simplify your morning
routine by following these 8 tips:

 1.  Finish homework and pack school bags
at night.
 2.  Decide on what your children will
wear to school before you go to bed and locate
lost shoes for the following day.
 3.  In the morning, get up 15 minutes
earlier.
 4.  Give up computer games and morning
television.
 5.  Have healthy foods on hand.  You
should also shop for breakfast foods with your kids
and take into account their personal preferences.
 6.  Set the cereal out the night before.
For younger children, fill a zippered plastic bag
with her portion, then add the milk in the
morning.
 7.  Allow your children to use the
microwave often, as most breakfast foods can be
prepared in under 5 minutes.
 8.  Allow your kids to eat in the car or
on the way to school.

There are several foods that you can eat for
breakfast, even leftovers from supper if they
are sufficient.  You can eat bagels, pizza with
fruit juice, pretzels, or the normal bacon and
eggs that breakfast is known for.  Most foods are
a snap to prepare, and won't take you but a
few minutes.

The next time you are in a hurry in the morning,
remember that you are probably about to skip the
most important meal of the day. If you follow the
tips above, you'll find that you have plenty of
time for breakfast.