When I was a child, my mother began working to help support our family. It was at a time when few moms worked outside of the home, and there weren’t as many convenience and take-out foods for quick meals. Even if those foods had been available, they wouldn’t have been in the budget on a regular basis.
In spite of being tired at the end the day, my mother was militant about putting balanced meals on the table. Her dinners weren’t particularly elaborate, but they would put most of today’s meals to shame. In addition to a healthy entrée and a grain, we always had two vegetables, and some sort of fruit for dessert.
Make Family Meals High Priority
Good nutrition was important to my mom, but so was coming together as a family at the end of the day.
My mom and I are on the same page when it comes to family meals, even if our circumstances are different. I work from home, and have more flexibility when it comes to shopping for and preparing food, and I have two busy teenagers and an equally active 12-year-old whose dance, tennis, and gymnastic classes interfere with the so-called dinner hour. When I was a kid, we were all home by 6 P.M.
I know how hard it can be to gather for family meals, especially as children get older.
But it’s important to make family meals a priority. You don’t have to eat dinner together; breakfast and lunch count, too. Don’t worry if you can’t get the entire family at the table for meals. The bottom line is that uninterrupted time spent together is what matters most, whether it’s over a meal, or not.
Family Meals Are About More than Food
According to the Eat Together, Eat Better program, which promotes National Eat Together, Eat Better month, family meals are for more than eating.
Kids take comfort in ritual and family meals are a part of a routine they can count on. Mealtimes may be one of the only times during the day when children get the chance to talk with their parents (hopefully) without the distraction of the phone, internet, or TV. And research shows that mealtime conversation boosts a young child’s vocabulary, which could translate into improved academic performance down the line.
Manage Family Meals
The following strategies from Eat Together, Eat Better, and from my own experience, can make family mealtimes more manageable:
Shop for and cook healthy foods together. Prepare at least one food on the weekend, such as beef stew or lasagna, to get a jump on weeknight meals.
Have breakfast for dinner. If you’d rather spend time with your family than cooking and cleaning up, have omelets, scrambled eggs, or French toast made with whole grain bread for your evening dish. Add milk, and fruit or vegetables and you have a meal.
Capitalize on convenience. Pair up a store-bought roasted chicken with pre-cut frozen vegetables and a quick-cooking grain, such as whole-wheat couscous.
Cook it quick, but eat it slow, allowing ample time to talk with each other.
Turn the TV off, and don’t take telephone calls or allow texting at the table.
Keep food fights to a minimum. Forcing children to eat food they don’t like will make them tense. Try to serve a few foods that everyone enjoys at each meal.
It can be tough to inspire your child to prefer healthy foods, and quite frankly, quite tiring. Yet, it’s so worth it, largely because eating preferences are determined early in life.
Of course, no parent, even the most motivated, is perfect. Here are some common food-related mistakes we make with children, and some simple solutions.
• Leaving the kids at home when you shop. Grocery shopping with young kids can test the limits of your patience, but given the right conditions, taking your children to shop for healthy foods sets a good example. Avoid conflict by shopping with well-rested kids who are not hungry. Take a list with you to avoid having to think too much about what you’re buying. Small children tire easily, so keep your time in the store to about an hour. For older children, talk about what to buy to make healthy meals and snacks, then have them make a list of what you need at the store.
• Allowing children to skip breakfast. September is Better Breakfast Month. What better way to promote the idea that kids must start the day with a nutritious breakfast to keep them in top form in the classroom and on the playing field? If your child doesn’t go in for traditional breakfast foods, such as Mom’s Best Naturals cereals, milk, and fruit, then think outside the box: let him have a sandwich or leftover pizza, and fruit. No time in the morning? Simplify the morning chaos by getting up 10 minutes earlier, and by getting ready the night before for the next day.
• Serving low-nutrient snacks. Children consume about 25 percent of their calories as snacks, so these between-meal noshes should be more than salty chips and sugary drinks. Serve your child a variety of foods he would have at any healthy meal, such as a bowl of Mom’s Best Naturals and low-fat milk, fruit and yogurt, or cheese and an apple. That way, you won’t have to worry how much he eats at his next meal.
• Pressuring kids to eat when they’re not hungry. This is one of the most egregious of all parental sins at the table. Children are born with an innate ability to regulate their own hunger. The trouble comes when we think our kids haven’t eaten enough, and we cajole, beg, and harrass them to take just a few more bites. Trust your child’s instincts. If you think he needs to eat more vegetables, dairy products, and whole grains, see the advice about snacks.
• Discussing your body image in front of your kids. You think your thighs could be thinner, and you’re wondering why your belly is so big. Keep it to yourself! Children soak up everything they hear. Problem is, they may start to think that their body isn’t good enough, based on what you have to say about your own. Girls – and boys – face a lot of societal pressure to be thin, and they don’t need the added doubt about their bodies that your conversation may spark.
Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school and the cool air is coming. I love fall weather. It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, and this year I am especially looking forward to it. We have had several months with extremely hot temperatures this year, over 100 degrees most days, and that crisp cool air that smells of fall will be greeted with open arms. I love the changing of the leaves — all of the bright oranges, yellows and reds – and pumpkins dotting fields, ripe for picking, while children get excited to pick out their costume for a night of trick or treating.
I am not sure about most families but we officially end our summer on Labor Day weekend. We all gather together at my uncle’s place in the mountains and celebrate with great food, family and friends. People from all over migrate to this small town carrying a covered dish and most also bring a musical instrument. While there will be some sitting around making music, some will be making food however all will be making memories.
With the beginning of fall we start planning our trip to the pumpkin farm. The kids talking excitedly about what kind of pumpkin they want that year, what costume they will wear and what parties they hope to attend and most of all what kind of treat we will prepare the day after Halloween. We started this tradition several years ago when the kids were little and they would bring in way more candy than they needed. “What do you do with all of the candy?” was something that we were always asking. So, we started making bar cookies the day after. Each child gets to pick out a cereal and some candy to make their bars with — things like Mom’s Best Naturals Oats & Honey Blend and Snickers, or Mom’s Best Naturals Honey Nut Toasty O’s and M&Ms. The possibilities are endless in the types of combinations you can come up with and the bars never turn out the same.
The time spent in the kitchen together is priceless. My kitchen is the hub of our home. It is well used and looks it. I remember once my son was asked what his favorite food was, and his answer? Anything my Mom makes. That makes me proud. It also swells my heart to know that my kids would rather come home for a meal than to eat out with their friends and that most of their friends would also rather be in the kitchen with us. So as our summer comes to a close and we draw together as a family and embrace our friends along with us I hope that you will join together as we prepare for many more days of “making memories” that lie ahead.
One of our favorite bloggers and a member of our Mom Panel, Elizabeth from A Nut in a Nutshell, headed out to New York City last weekend for BlogHer 2010, an annual conference that gives bloggers the opportunity to learn more about their craft, network, and interact with their favorite brands. (Like Mom’s Best Naturals!)
Elizabeth landed in NYC armed with her Mom’s Best Flip Cam, and spent the weekend chatting with bloggers about their favorite parts of the famed conference. Here are some of their responses:
The new school year is quickly approaching – and has already begun, for some of you – which means getting back into the routine of getting up early, making it to the bus stop on time, and most importantly, making sure your best-laid plans for eating healthy translate to the school cafeteria.
Dietitian Elizabeth Ward recommends making sure your kids keep their energy and brain power up by going back to basics. She suggests starting the day with a mix of complex carbs and protein – think whole grain cereal with milk – and including additional proteins and fruit in their lunch bag.
Check out the video below for more of Elizabeth’s tips on packing nutrient-rich lunches and snacks to ensure that healthy eating will last all year long!
Want your child to get the most out of school this year? Help him to fuel his body and brain with good nutrition all day long.
Breakfast
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. Your child’s brain requires a constant flow of energy, also known as glucose. Breakfast helps replenish the nutrients the body called upon during the night to keep it running, and jump starts your child’s day.
Eating breakfast also prevents hunger that distracts kids from learning in the classroom. Research shows that children who eat breakfast tend to have better short-term memory than their counterparts who do not eat the morning meal. But it’s not just any old breakfast that bolsters brain function in kids – studies suggest that consuming very high-calorie meals in the morning impairs concentration.
Use the morning meal as an opportunity to work in at least one of the three suggested daily servings of whole grains, which are relatively lower in calories and richer in fiber than their highly refined counterparts, such as doughnuts and packaged breakfast pastries.
A serving of whole grain cereals, such as those found in Mom’s Best Naturals cereals, keeps calories under control and helps the body to better regulate blood glucose levels, providing your child’s brain with a steady energy supply. Whole grains are also rich in B vitamins, necessary for constructing brain cells, and for the production of neurotransmitters, compounds in the brain that help nerve cells to communicate with each other.
Since children typically douse their cereal with milk, breakfast is a way to include dairy products. Dairy foods are packed with protein, which helps to keep kids fuller for longer, and they provide B vitamins. Eggs are also an excellent protein source and a top supplier of choline, a compound associated with better memory.
Lunch
Your child loves PB&J sandwiches and wants one in his lunch box every day. How does the All-American sandwich fare as brain food? Pretty well, actually.
Nut butters, and seed butters, such as sunflower seed butter, are great sources of healthy fats, and they supply vitamin E, which protects cells, including those in the nervous system and brain, from damage. To boost nutrition, make nut and seed butter sandwiches with grated carrots, California raisins, or sliced bananas, and whole grain bread.
Your mother told you fish was brain food (well, my mother did, anyway) and she was right. Fish is an excellent source of the omega-3 fat DHA, which is essential to brain development. Research suggests that people who consume higher amounts of omega-3 fats perform better on tests of their mental skills. Canned light tuna is a safe, nutritious choice for kids, but how about trying salmon instead? Salmon is a stellar source of DHA. Prepare salmon salad sandwiches on whole grain rolls for a change of pace.
Lean roast beef is an excellent sandwich filling choice. It’s filled with protein, and with a form of iron that is highly absorbable by the body. Iron helps kids stay energized and is crucial to nervous system and brain health.
Snacks
It’s tempting to rely on snack chips and sugary beverages when you’re packing snacks during the hectic morning rush or when your child insists on these low-nutrient goodies. Mom, resist the urge!
Send snacks to school that combine complex carbohydrate and protein so that your child’s brain gets the energy it needs, and he stays fuller for longer. Here are some suggestions:
Hummus, sunflower seed butter, or peanut butter and baby carrots
Trail mix made with Mom’s Best Naturals cereal, nuts or sesame seeds, and dried fruit
I have always loved having the kids home for the summer, and I’m a person who never gets bored, so I’ve found ways to keep my kids busy and having fun. There are a myriad of scheduled activities for kids to participate in outside the home, such as summer reading clubs at the library and bookstores, day camps, and swimming lessons, but today I want to focus on simple, everyday activities at home.
I have always encouraged imagination and creativity through play, as it’s not only fun, but educational too. If you give the kids a few supplies and a starter activity, and then just let them take it where they want it, they’ll have a blast!
Running through sprinklers is a favorite childhood activity. Add in an umbrella, a bucket, and a big squishy sponge and watch what fun they will have!
Fill a wading pool with water on a really hot day, dump in a big container of ice cubes, and let the kids try to get the ice cubes out of the pool with their feet!
Some gardening tools, a bucket, and a place to dig will have them creating recipes extraordinaire. At our house, making outdoor salad is an everyday delight.
Make a backyard obstacle course and let the kids help come up with activities to include. Play copycat where one person goes from point A to point B doing an activity of their choice (like skipping, hopping, galloping, or running backwards) and everyone else follows behind. Take turns being the leader. Be prepared for silliness.
Run some relay races. Have some flippers? Let them slip them on and then try to race each other across the yard. Fasten cups onto their shoes with rubber bands and fill them with popcorn or Mom’s Best Naturals cereal. Let them try to race each other to a container and see who can fill it first. I guarantee the birds will be getting quite a tasty treat that day!
I could go on and on, but these are a few tried and true activities and I hope they inspire you to come up with even more ideas. Have a wonderful summer with your kids!
Whether it’s a day trip or an extended vacation, when the key goes in the ignition, healthy eating often goes out the window. I speak from experience, of course. My family relaxes their otherwise good habits during the lazy days of summer, and that’s OK – to a point.
The trick is to limit the damage. Kids will clamor for summertime treats like corn dogs, fried dough, and ice cream, as sure as the sun will shine. Packing nutritious snacks to take to camp, to the beach, or to eat in the car makes it easier to resist large portions of restaurant food, get the nutrition you need, and save money.
Summertime Snacking Basics
These are my cardinal rules of noshing between meals:
Treat snacks like mini-meals, and offer children foods that you would give them at a healthy meal.
Pay attention to portions. Younger kids need about 100-200 calories in a snack, but active adolescents may need more.
Feel fuller for longer and boost nutrition by combining foods rich in carbohydrate, such as cereal, bread, and crackers, with protein-packed choices like milk, yogurt, and peanut butter.
Keep it safe. When you’re driving to your destination, pack a cooler with ice to keep foods fresh.
Remember, you can’t take liquids with you when passing through security at the airport, so consider buying yogurt, milk, and juice before you’re ready to board.
Smart Snacking Strategies
Start your day with a balanced breakfast that includes whole grains, low-fat protein-rich foods like dairy and eggs, and fruit. You may not have the time to eat a proper breakfast before leaving home in the wee hours of the morning to pile into the car or to catch a plane. When you’re short on time, take a Ziploc bag of Mom’s Best Naturals cereal with you, and have it with a carton of yogurt and a piece of fruit later on.
Try these take-along mini-meals:
Hard-cooked egg and whole grain roll
Single serve low-fat microwave popcorn mixed with shelled pistachios and dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries
Trail mix made with Mom’s Best Naturals Sweetened Wheatfuls, raisins or dried cranberries, and nuts or sunflower seeds
Container of Greek yogurt and whole grain crackers
½ sandwich and small serving of fruit
String cheese and apple
Mini whole wheat bagel spread with peanut, almond, cashew or sunflower seed butter
Sliced red and green bell peppers, baby carrots, and single-serve containers of hummus or bean dip for dipping
And, always have water on hand to avoid purchasing sugary beverages such as soda, lemonade, and fruit drinks that pack in the calories, but little else.
With our busy lives, it may seem like a challenge to eat healthy, nutritious meals regularly. Who has time, between soccer practice and dance class and summer camps or school? Everyone, says dietitian Elizabeth Ward, if you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with essential ingredients for healthy dishes.
Elizabeth recommends keeping key foods on-hand so that you can whip up a nutrient-rich, delicious meal in just a few minutes, even when you’re on the go. She suggests keeping standard items, like canned beans, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, peanut butter, eggs, vegetables, and whole grain cereals, in stock.
Check out the video below for more of Elizabeth’s tips on what to keep in your pantry so that a healthy meal is always just minutes away!
NBC recently featured Mom’s Best Naturals on The Today Show in a segment about healthy snacks for kids. As Michelle Obama’s recent push to fight childhood obesity demonstrates, snacking smart is more important than ever. As discussed during the segment, turning your child’s snacks into mini-meals is a great way to ensure they’re getting the proper nutrients their bodies need while avoiding filling up on junk food. A bowl of your favorite Mom’s Best Naturals cereal as an after-school snack does just that.
Registered dietitian and mother of three Elizabeth Ward recommends the following tips for healthy snacking:
Make snacks into mini-meals, not meal wreckers. Children get more than 25 percent of their calories as snacks, so it’s especially important to serve healthy foods that kids would eat at mealtimes.
Snack healthy, all day long. Avoid common mid-morning snacks that are full of fat, sugar, and sodium by replacing them with snacks that combine foods rich in complex carbohydrates and proteins that will help keep them fuller for longer, and give kids the energy they need to play and learn.
Minimize snacking by serving balanced meals. A balanced breakfast with fruit, milk or yogurt, and whole grains gets the day off on the right foot and prevents the hunger that can lead to snacking.
Check out The Today Show clip to learn additional smart snacking tips!
When I was a child, my mother began working to help support our family. It was at a time when few moms worked outside of the home, and there weren’t as many convenience and take-out foods for quick meals. Even if those foods had been available, they wouldn’t have been in the budget on a regular basis.
