(Guest Post) Children and Healthy Snacks-Jessica David

Children and Healthy Snacks

As a health coach and a mom to a preschooler, I have learned that sharing my interest of eating clean with my son has returned great results.  He has been eager to try new dishes with me. This is exciting because I’m always coming up with new ones! 

As a parent, I know you desire for your child(ren) to eat more fruits and vegetables but yet you’re stumped on how to or maybe have simply ran out of new ideas on how to present the foods to them, right? Look no further! Before I share a few ideas, I am going to give you a starter list of which ingredients to avoid and why.

·      High Fructose Corn Syrup is an ingredient that has been processed many times over. It also shuts down the body’s ability to say ‘enough.’ It contains 40-90% fructose and it shapes a child’s tastes toward sweet cravings. It is a leading cause of obesity (the over-consumption of fructose since the 1970s). More on this topic from highfructosehigh.com

·      Artificial Dyes are ingredients that are a color and a number and studies show a link between them and hyperactivity in children. They are also called excitotoxins because they have the ability to damage cells in the brain.  Dyes: Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. More on thistopic from diefooddye.com

·      Hydrogenated Oils are man-made fats. Another name for them is trans-fats. Trans-fats may damage cell membranes in the brain and nerve cells. More on this topic from AskDrSears.com

Now that we’ve addressed what to avoid, let’s focus on the positive. Here are some proven tricks to get your children to eat and enjoy more vegetables (and fruits):

Dip it (hummus, guacamole), Hide it (add grated veggies to dishes), Design it (make veggie art), Grow it (plant a garden), Fill it (stuff a pita), and Tell it (greens are ‘grow foods’).

My son’s favorite go-to snack is apple wedges with drizzled raw honey and sprinkled cinnamon.

Learn tips on label reading, eating more fruits and vegetables, healthy substitutions, recipes, and beyond at one of my future eWorkshops or phone consults. L.E.A.N. Start classes begin online at the end of every month. More information: www.conveyingawareness.com/upcoming-events/registration/.

 David is a Certified L.E.A.N. Health Coach and the owner and founder of Conveying Awareness. Jessica provides nutrition tips via her blog, newsletter, Facebook page, and various media in print and online covering a plethora of wellness topics.  Having lived overseas, a seed was planted within her to cook meals from fresh ingredients and she now shows families how to do the same. Jessica feels that through encouragement we can impart education with lasting results. She also advocates for families to eat more fruits and vegetables. She lives in Ridgecrest, California with her husband and young son.