Is it healthy?
Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about “trans fats” and overweight kids in the news, here in Canada at least. I came across a mom writing about the issue of kids diets. I agree that it seems to be mainly a problem of parents not teaching kids to make the right choices when it comes to making decisions about what to eat.
Now, I realize my kids are pretty young, but I think the training starts really early, and although I am no expert on the subject, I have learnt some things along the way. As my kids got old enough to eat a few meals a day, I started to care a lot more about the choices that I made for my family. A couple major changes are…
- no more microwave!
- significant decrease in the number of packaged food and snacks
- increased fruits and vegetables
- fast food only 1 time per week, and in very small portions
I don’t like microwaves. I don’t think that there is any benefit to them. Read more here. Packaged and processed foods are full of trans fats, and other undesirable stuff.
And no, I am not anal about it… but I think that making healthy decisions starts at home, and starts when they are young, so at least I want to do my part to help them. I do let them have snacks… I give them what they like in small portions, as a treat, and they respect that. When planning meals, I try to follow the Canada food guide, and make sure they have a balanced meal… that is key. Simple things help to go a long way, like carrots and broccoli, baby spinach, corn… I try to keep veggies that my kids enjoy, and incorporate them into our meals.
Knowledge is key to making the good choices… stay informed!
