Healthy Eating: Kids in the Kitchen; Get Cookin'

Little did I know when I started this series that September was National Childhood Obesity Month.  Melissa recently wrote a thought-provoking post that forces us to answer some tough questions.  "Did you know that 12.5 million children are either overweight or obese?  Did you know that this is the first generation of children that might not live as long as their parents?"  And to cut to the chase, "Did you know that this is one of the most preventable problems in the United States?"

Melissa goes on to provide some resources if you want to learn more or find out what you can do to help.  I'm going to attempt to do my part by giving you some ideas of solutions that have worked for us.

Harvard has released a new and improved take on the age old food pyramid, the "Healthy Eating Plate."  The USDA "My Plate" a while back but Harvard took it a step further and provided better explanations, as well as a few changes.  Whether you agree with the changes or not, what is uniform amongst both of them is the
fact that half of your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables, eat less, avoid over-sized portions, and replace sugary drinks with water.  The Harvard plate takes it a step further and replaces the dairy circle with water as well. 

The point is, if we want to end childhood obesity and protect ourselves from heart disease, some cancers, and a whole host of other diseases, we must change what we put in our bodies!

The first solution is to eat at home.  When you eat out, you have no idea what goes into the food you eat.  The term "hamburger" is a very loose term when you think of the dozen preservatives and other chemicals that are added to it.  I use hamburger as an example but you could easily fill in the blank with anything you get at a fast food or sit-down restaurant.  I'm not saying you can't indulge every once in a while but the goal is to eat as many meals at home as possible.  You're not only doing your body a favor, your family will benefit as well.

While you're eating at home, get your children (and spouse) involved in the preparation.  You might be surprised how much more your kids will be willing to try if they are helping wash it, cut it, scoop it, etc.  I have gotten Colin to try several things this way and many times he eats his dinner allotment of veggies while standing on his chair helping me.  Put yourself in their shoes, it has to be exciting to see what's going on up on that counter that Mommy works on every night.  And then to get to sample some of the offerings before anyone else?!  It's the little things, you know.

Allow your children to have input on the menu selection too.  It helps take some of the guesswork out of it for you but it also makes them feel important that they got to pick what everyone is eating. 

I think I've said this before and the "plate" above addresses it again, but strive to include as many fruits and vegetables with every meal as possible.  Remember not all veggies are created equal - fresh is best, followed by frozen, and canned bringing up the very tail end - but some veggies are better than no veggies at all!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my mini series on Healthy Eating.  I've enjoyed sharing with you some of my findings and personal successes.  I hope you will strive to eat healthier and, in turn, pass that on to your family.

Healthy Eating: Kids in the Kitchen; Building a Foundation

I've gone back and forth with the direction I wanted to take this post.  I have so many ideas running through my mind but none of them seemed worthy enough for an entire post, so I've decided to separate my ideas into 2 posts; Building a Foundation and Get Cookin'. 

I also want to preface this post by saying that these are my opinions and examples of what has worked for me.  I'm not here to judge your parenting styles and don't mean to step on any toes, should I differ in the way I approach my children's eating habits.

Eating healthy has been important to me for a while but I think it was magnified once I brought another life into the world.  As a parent, I want to do everything in my power to make sure I provide a solid foundation for my children.  Not only am I trying to be a good role model for his character building skills, I'm also trying to teach him healthy eating habits that will carry him the rest of his life.


There are some things mothers do without really thinking about why or how.  Breastfeeding was one of those things.  I never really gave a second thought about not doing it.  As Colin's d-date drew closer, I began to hear tales of inability to produce enough milk, milk not coming in, nursing making you crazy, and several other discouraging stories.  I am the type of person who likes to prove people wrong.  Just tell me I can't do something and then watch what happens.  Thankfully, I was able to nurse both of my boys for over a year.  Yes the bonding was wonderful but knowing what I was putting in my child's body was even more rewarding to me.

I've heard of recent studies that indicate mothers who eat a variety of foods while nursing have children who are more willing to try new foods.  That certainly makes sense that if the child was exposed to a variety of flavors in the milk that they would perhaps recognize and be familiar with them when they're presented later.

While it does make sense, I'm by no means a doctor or research analyst.  It seems to be true in my case but I know others who have not found it to be true.  But there are more variables here than just milk consumption.  What about the way the foods are introduced?  How often, how much?  These, along with several other factors, also play a part in steering clear of the dreaded "picky eater."  This is a good chance for me to remind you that I was a very picky eater so I do know a little about this behavior first hand.

Whether your child was breastfed or bottle fed, that is neither here nor there.  What is important now is making sure they are properly nourished and are being exposed to a variety of foods.  Let's start from the beginning (a very good place to start).  The first step before we even delve into the list is for you to make the decision you want this to work and commit to making it happen.  Once you have a positive attitude and that determination, you'll be off on the right foot.

Here are a few steps that should help if you start from the get-go.

1)  Expose your child to a variety of baby food.  Whether you make your own (very easy by the way) or buy it, there are many varieties available.  Try them all!  Just because you don't like sweet potatoes doesn't mean your child won't.

2)  Try flavors more than once!  It's easy to call it quits after one time of being sprayed with peas but everyone has an off day and babies are constantly developing new taste buds.  Wait a few days and try it again.  Maybe their stomach hurt the first time you gave it to them, or maybe they weren't hungry.  There are too many factors to rule out a food after just one taste.

3)  Once you move on to finger foods (solids), give them samples off of your plate.  Kids want to eat what you're eating.  This will force you to eat better as well.  If you're having grilled chicken, peas, and carrots, give them small bites of each.  Chances are the first time they'll spit it out because of the texture and it being something new.  If they don't like it, go back to baby food and try again tomorrow.  Another option is to give them a bite of baby food, followed by a finger food.  I've also put the solid food on top of the baby food and fed it to them that way.  Colin preferred to pick the items up himself and try them for the first time, while Sawyer fared better if I was the one putting them in his mouth.  The point is, just keep trying.

4)  Don't give up and resort to bread or sweets!  Once they get the taste of delicious carbs and/or sweets, it's over.  My best advice is to put off introducing sugar as long as you can.  Let fruit be their dessert.  They'll think it's great and will never know the difference.

5)  Eat as a family.  This is important on so many levels but in this instance, it puts you all on level playing ground.  They'll learn dinnertime is not a time for playing around, it's a time to eat what's put in front of you and enjoy time with the family.  Even if it's not feasible for you to do this every night, the more the better!

6)  Prepare meals that everyone can enjoy!  This, in my opinion, is key to getting your kids to eat a variety of foods.  This is where your meal planning really comes into play.  It's a great time to try new vegetables (maybe even for you) and talk about them.  We always tell Colin that he has to try at least one bite and if he doesn't like it that's fine but you don't know until you try it.  He has repeated that sentence so many times and most of the time he's found out he actually likes it.  By providing a nutritious meal for your child, you are benefiting yourself as well.

7)   Don't make them a special meal or they will grow to expect it.  Once you start, it's hard to turn things around.  I have a friend who can attest to this firsthand.  Your kids won't starve.  When they get hungry enough, they will eat what's in front of them.  I would encourage you to try to have at least one item that they like or sort of like so they don't feel like you're plotting against them.  If you are trying to get back on track, start gradual.  Start by introducing one new thing and make them eat a bite of that before they get the item that you know they already like.  The next week, make it 2 things they have to try, and so on.

8)  It's okay if you don't like something but don't assume your children have the same taste buds.  I think this is what affected me most as a child.  My dad was a picky eater and we didn't have a huge variety because of it.  My mom did the best she could but after a while I was tired of green beans and corn.  Variety is the spice of life!  It's okay for your children to see you try something for the first time.  It's also okay for them to see that you don't like it.  But if you want them to keep trying new things, it's only fair that they see you keep trying.  Our adult taste buds change too, so don't assume that if you didn't like something 5 years ago that you won't like it now.  Try it, you might be surprised!

9)  Don't assume your kids won't eat it.  I try very hard to never say, "Oh he won't eat that" or "He doesn't like that."  You are putting words in his/her mouth that aren't necessarily true.  This goes back to the fact that kids' taste buds are constantly changing; just because they didn't like something last week doesn't mean they won't love it today.

I realize some of these ideas may not be feasible for everyone.  I've tried to provide several different ideas in hopes that you could find one or two that would help you in your situation.  I hope I've helped some and I'd be more than happy to offer further suggestions, should anyone need them.  Just keep your eye on the prize and keep telling yourself, "My child will eat healthy!"

Healthy Eating: Grocery Shopping 101

We've briefly discussed organic foods and meal planning and now we're moving on to the grocery, or groceries in my case.  Before I delve into that, I want to point you in the direction of a great article I recently read about organic milk.  Katie goes into a lot more depth than I did and I think you'll find her information very informative.

So now that you've got your menu planned, it's time to make your grocery list.  Since I'm generally on the computer searching and selecting recipes, I've found it's much easier to just type my menu and grocery list in Word (on the same page).  I actually save my menus/lists from week to week so I can refer back to them when making future food posts or to recall the names of certain recipes so I can go back and record any notes I might have for that recipe. 

I divide my list into 2 columns - one for Meijer and one for Whole Foods.  There are some items that are cheaper at Meijer and I find it worth my (Wes' since he's the grocery shopper) while to venture to 2 stores to get the best deals.  There are other items that Meijer either doesn't offer or doesn't offer as organic.  Those items fall on the Whole Foods list.  It's also nice to go to 2 stores in case one doesn't have an item, we can usually find it at our next stop.  I'm a big believer in limiting the number of trips to the grocery, so this helps cut down on that. 

So I've got my 2 columns started and then I begin reviewing the recipes to see what items I need.  I try to arrange the items on my list in the order they appear in the grocery.  This makes it much quicker to shop and I also feel like it's the least I can do for Wes since he's doing the shopping with at least 1 kid in tow!  By making the list in Word, it's easy enough to go back and add a line or move things around in order to keep it all neat and organized.  Wes being the efficient shopper he is marks the items off as he goes along, circling the items he was unable to locate.

The end result is a pantry and fridge stocked with just enough to get us by that week.  There's little to no waste and no impulse buying.  Sure we have the occasional deviations if something is on sale or something catches our eye, but for the most part we stick to the list.  Wes takes a lot of pride in his efficiency and loves to report how little we spent. 

I know some people cut coupons and I think that's great but most of the items I buy do not offer coupons.  You don't find too many coupons for fresh produce or meat.  I read once that you should concentrate the majority of your time and budget to the perimeter of the store.  Think about it, that's your produce, meats, and dairy - makes sense.

And just one last word on convenience foods, specifically pre-chopped fruits and veggies.  As easy and tempting as these products are, they are not equal to their whole counterparts.  Johnny Bowden, PhD, and author of "The Healthiest Meals on Earth" says, "When sliced and peeled, or shredded, then shipped to stores, their nutrients are significantly reduced."  So when possible, buy whole and prep right before you're ready to cook. At a minimum, be sure to use your fresh produce within a week of buying. 

To read more about the nutritional value of fruits and veggies, you can check out a story on MSNBC here.

Healthy Eating: Meal Planning 101

There are some skills I feel we were born (blessed) with and others that take a lot of practice to master.  I was born a planner.  It's not something I remember ever being taught, it has just always come naturally to me.  Budgeting falls into this same category but that's a post in and of itself.

Being a planner keeps me on my toes.  I'm always thinking 2 steps ahead and get frustrated when others don't (uh um, Wes, I'm talking to you).  Every night I begin going through tomorrow's routine and getting lunches prepared, outfits selected (in my head), meals prepped, and schedules made.  Part of this is a curse because it's hard for me to live for today when I'm always thinking ahead to tomorrow but I like being prepared.

I plan my meals one week at a time.  I do allow some wiggle room in that I don't assign a certain meal to a certain day - at least not always but more on that later.  With both the CSA box and striving to eat more fresh produce, I've found 1 week is about as far out as I can plan in order to keep the food fresh.  I used to do 2 weeks at a time but I found my tastes changed too much from week to week and that was too long to let some vegetables stay in the fridge.  One week works for us but as long as what you're doing works, stick with it!

Since I'm always thinking ahead, I feel like I'm always thinking about dinner options.  As I read blogs through Google Reader, I bookmark those that appeal and sort them in folders, i.e. Main Dishes - Chicken, Main Dishes- Beef, Side Dishes, Salads, etc.  I also have a similar file system in Excel for recipes I find in Southern Living, Cooking Light, or blogs I don't subscribe to.  When I go to make my menu, I try to pick one dish from chicken, one beef, one seafood, and then either one breakfast, one vegetarian, or one pasta.  As I find the one I want, I go ahead and print it out so the grocery list process can move smoothly and it also allows me to have all my recipes in one place.

Once I have my protein, I focus on the vegetables.  I try to have at least 2 vegetables with each meal, one green and one of another color.  I try to be diverse with my options so no one gets burned out on any one item.  I'm lucky in that my family will eat just about anything (more on that in another post) but there are some exceptions.  I try to make sure I always have some frozen peas and/or lima beans on hand for these occasions.  Side dishes are often overlooked but they are the source for most of the vitamins and minerals in our diets, so don't neglect them!
 
As a side note, as I'm making my menu, if I find more dishes for a week than there are days to cook them, I often start a plan for the next week so as to not forget them and also to cut out some of the thinking for next week.  Now sometimes my feelings have changed by the next week but often it's a welcome jump start. 

In selecting both dinner and side dishes, I try to think of what items I have on hand.  I generally only buy items for the dishes I've selected but sometimes things jump out at me that are on sale or new items.  Those unplanned, spontaneous items are often the ones that sit on my pantry shelf for months, unused - thus, the list!  But I do often have leftover produce from the previous week that I try to incorporate into my menu early the next week to avoid it from spoiling.  It's easy to do a search in Excel if I have a specific item I'm trying to use up or Southern Living/Cooking Light has a search engine called, MyRecipes that is another great resource. 

I try not to duplicate many recipes but that's just because I have SO many bookmarked and saved that I want to try.  I think the variety helps spice things up and prevents anyone from getting bored of the same old meal week after week.  It also forces us to try new things and allows our ever-changing taste buds to retry certain foods we might have once disliked.

Seems simple enough, right?  With a little planning ahead, our weekly menu plan has cut out the need for eat-on-the-run and the dreaded processed foods.  I think about our schedule for the week as I'm planning and make quicker dishes or make-ahead meals on nights when we have soccer practice or other commitments.  Planning ahead is definitely key to maintaining a healthy dinner routine.

Well what are you waiting for, get busy creating next week's menu.  As a sort of "Clif's Note" version, if you will, here is my menu for this past week:

Garlic Shrimp (Scallop) Pasta, salad with nuts/cranberries/feta, bread

Chard, Tomato/Bread Salad, pan-fried chicken w/bbq sauce

Meatloaf, peas, mashed potatoes

Fish sandwiches w/Mmm sauce, zesty lime slaw, watermelon

Family Meal at local restaurant

Grocery Shopping 101 to be continued...

Healthy Eating - "If it was good enough for my grandmother, it's good enough for me!"

A little background for anyone who is new or perhaps those of you that may have missed the evolution of my eating habits.  Growing up, I was a picky eater, a very picky eater.  I sustained on grilled cheese sandwiches and not much else.  It wasn't that my mom didn't cook, she lovingly prepared 2 hot meals a day and prepared a homemade lunch each and every day.  I can remember many a night sitting at the kitchen table after everyone else had finished eating, staring at the food on my plate that I wouldn't eat, waiting to be excused from the table.  One day I got crafty and devised a plan.  I would put the food in my mouth, then promptly spit it into a napkin and throw the napkin away in the trashcan that just happened to be placed a mere foot from my chair.  This went on unnoticed for quite some time and I'm not sure when my mom or dad finally discovered it (probably when my sister ratted me out) but rarely was anything said.  They probably didn't want to deal with it.

Looking back, I think part of the reason I was picky was that I wasn't exposed to much variety.  I didn't learn until recently that my Dad has a whole list of things that he doesn't like.  My mom, being the accommodating wife that she is, didn't serve those items and thus, I was never introduced to such things as zucchini, greens, cauliflower, and who knows what else.  Granted, I probably wouldn't have liked them but then again, one of my favorite things to eat at my babysitter's house was raw turnips, so you never know.

People often ask me when my preferences changed and the meal that always comes to mind is a dish our cook made at my sorority house when I was a sophomore.  It was an acorn squash half that had been stuffed with some brown sugar concoction.  No one was eating it and my roommate and I, who happened to love this cook, decided to take one so as to not hurt his feelings.  I can't remember the taste or really much about the squash at all but I just remember being proud of myself for even trying it.  I like to think that was the turning point in my culinary adventures.

That's just a preview of my background.  I'll touch on it a little more as the series continues but I wanted to provide a bit of a foundation so you knew where I was coming from.

The title of this post was a quote from my sister in reference to organic foods.  While I do agree with the statement in theory, the reality is that the produce now is not the same as what our grandparents had.  They had fruits and vegetables straight from the garden, a farm that produced their goods without chemicals or genetic modification.  They had no Round-Up, no antibiotics to feed their livestock, or super chemicals to enhance growth.  Essentially, they were raising organic goods without the USDA official label.  So yes, if we were eating the same food our grandparents did, it would be good enough for me.  Trouble is, we're not.

Data released in December by the Food and Drug Administration revealed that 80% of the antibiotics sold and distributed in the United States were used on livestock.  80%!  That's certainly a ringing endorsement for organic meat.  The USDA organic standards prohibit the use of any medical treatment given to animals unless they are sick, including antibiotics and synthetic parasiticides.

Some people would balk that they can't afford to buy organic meat.  My response, can you afford to get sick?  Can your body afford the toll all these chemicals will have on it?

One simple solution would be to reduce your portion size.  Instead of have 1/4 lb hamburger, make it an 1/8th of a pound.  Instead of having an entire chicken breast, pound it out with a meat mallet and give a 1/4 of it to your child.  The portion size is America is out of control anyway, so this is a great way to combat that, while lessening your exposure to unnecessary chemicals and drugs.

In addition to meat in the traditional sense, you need to also consider milk and milk products (cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.).  All of these products come from the same antibiotic-treated cows mentioned above.  Unless you buy organic.  Unfortunately, not all organic milks are equal.  The Cornucopia Institute has issued an Organic Dairy Ratings Scorecard, whereby they assign "cow ratings" based on a variety of criteria.  You may be surprised to learn that local chains like Kroger, Meijer, Target (Archer Farms), and even Horizon all fall at the bottom of the list.  Not all organic products are created equal.  Whole Foods 365 brand, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield all scored well and seem to be viable options.

Moving on to produce.  There's a great chart (below) that I found that shows you what you should and shouldn't buy organic.  Essentially, some fruits and vegetables absorb more of the pesticides than others.  Some say if you can peel it, you don't need to buy organic but that's not always true.  Apples, for example are peelable but are on the top of the "Buy Organic" list because the pesticides don't stop in the skin, they go deeper into the flesh.  I prefer to go by the list.  At first I carried it around with me or noted on my grocery list which items I wanted to make sure to buy organic but now it's pretty ingrained in my head.  

Sometimes it's not feasible to buy all organic, whether it be lack of availability or exorbitant prices, but there are a few other options.  If you can't buy fresh organic, local would be the next best, followed by frozen organic, then conventional as a last resort - after all, there's still nutritional value in the foods, whether they are organic or not.

If cost is more of an issue, I encourage you to shop around for the best prices.  In my area, I have found Kroger is the most expensive across the board on most produce, organic or otherwise.  Watch for sales! When it comes time for me to buy apples, I always buy whatever variety is on sale - and Whole Foods always has at least one variety on sale.  Only buy what you are going to use, that will both eliminate waste and cut down on your out-of-pocket cost.

There are plenty of items on the chart listed above that you don't have to buy organic.  If you still feel like you can't afford to buy organic, focus on that half of the chart.  You can still get plenty of nutrients from those foods.  Whatever you do, just eat your fruits and veggies!  Your body will most definitely thank you!

This is not a complete dissertation of all the advantages of eating organic.  I have only barely skimmed the surface.  There is plenty of literature out there if you are so inclined to learn more and I would encourage you to do that.  I just wanted to at least make you aware because it seems the more people I talk to, the more I realize how much of this I take for granted that people know.  That is, after all, part of the basis for writing this series, to share with you what I've learned.

Next up:  Meal Planning 101 and Grocery Shopping 101

Healthy Eating Part 1

In my attempts to declutter my little world and enjoy each day a little more, I'm beginning to realize the things that mean the most to me.  Besides my family, I can pretty much sum up my favorite pastime in one word - FOOD!  Some may think that's silly and that's just fine.  Different strokes for different folks.  I love to cook, read and search for recipes, and most importantly, sample.  I've learned a lot over the course of developing this love and I decided I wanted to share that with you.  We'll see where this goes but one of the many thoughts rolling through my mind right now is to do a series of "Healthy Eating" posts.  I'm not sure where it will lead or how long it will last, some will be of interest to you, some will not.  I just want to share my passion with you.

This all hit me this weekend when Colin and I attended another childrens cooking class.  We sat with a mother and son who were learning more about healthy eating because of a recent discovery about behavioral food allergies.  I'll get into that more later but the part that struck me was when the mom said, "I knew we should be eating fruits and vegetables but processed foods were just more convenient, easy, and normal for us." 

Those words haven't stopped replaying in my head ever since.  Eating healthy is not a new phenomemon, it's one that has gotten swept under the rug with our hectic lifestyles, but it's all our grandparents and great grandparents knew.  I don't expect everyone to revert to the olden days but I would encourage you to model your eating habits off our pre-cancerous, longer-living great grandparents.

The following are some of the topics I hope to talk about in this series:

1)  "If it was good enough for my grandmother, it's good enough for me." - the basics of organic foods and costs associated with them

2)  The Search is On - deciphering and selecting recipes

3)  Meal Planning 101 and Grocery Shopping 101 - an in depth look at weekly meal planning and formulating grocery lists to prevent waste

4)  Kids can cook...and eat! - learn about kids involvement in the kitchen and their ever changing taste buds


5)  Eating to Live - the importance of nutrition

I know more topics will come to me as I go along but these are the basic foundation for eating healthy through my eyes.  I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I write but I do encourage you to read with an open mind (and an empty stomach!).