It always seems like an uphill battle to eat healthy, let alone to get your kids to eat healthy. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to talk with accomplished nutritionist Keri Glassman about ways to keep ourselves and our families healthy!
Keri has an interesting approach to health and wellness that she likes to call the “whole person” approach. She explains that she does not just look at an individual’s diet, rather she looks at "entire lifestyle, including sleep, stress, fluid intake, exercise, how people pamper themselves and personal relationships too!” She astutely explains that "all aspects work together.”
Keri mentions stress as being an important factor in overall health and as modern moms we are all stressed! To combat mommy-prone stress, she recomends: “Plan[ning] ahead! I decide what my kids will have for dinner for the week before the week begins. Also, if you can’t make it to the store to pick something up for that night, like fresh fish, always have the top 10 items you need for healthy meals in the house so that you know you can always have something healthy in the house as a backup."
Having healthy food in the house is great but it’s getting your kids to eat it that is the tough part. We asked Keri what her favorite healthy foolproof meal was and she said she has come up with a meal that almost every kid will like. “I do a whole wheat pasta with turkey meat sauce that they gobble up!…The tomato sauce is loaded with nutrients, and they are getting fiber from the whole wheat pasta and of course protein from the turkey.”
After we heard about this amazing (and easy!) kid-approved dinner we were dying to know what other healthy foods we should have around the kitchen for our kids to snack on. She suggested “Stripping [the] pantry of all of those things that aren’t giving your body nutrients you need. White pasta, cookies and chips are just giving you calories, sugar and fat! Then restock focusing on as many whole foods as possible.” She recommends having Thomas Bagel thins around the house. “They have a great 100% whole wheat option and at 110 calories each bagel, [they] can help with portion control.” She also recommends applesauce, fruit (fresh or dried without sugar), natural peanut butter, and whole grain pretzels as good snacks for kids.
Another way to get your kids eating healthy is to allow them to contribute. So let your kids get involved in the kitchen. Keri recommends "Bring[ing] them to the grocery or farmers market and hav[ing] them pick something that looks fun and exciting- to them! Then, make a recipe surrounding that item and have them be involved in making it.” She recommends doing some prep work before so it’s easy for your kids to get involved! Thanks for the great tips, Keri!
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