By the time you read this, many Americans will have already defaulted on their New Year’s resolutions and we are only into day 2! In our household, we don’t typically make resolutions (well, not on New Year’s anyway). We try not to wait until New Year’s Eve to try something new. Each day that we wake up is a new day, a day to start over, make changes, and to be happy. You don’t need to wait for tomorrow, a new year, Monday or Friday.
However, this year I am making one. It is a simple idea but I know it will be challenging. Continue reading “Welcome 2018! My New Year’s Resolution”
Read More
Every day I send my kids to school with strawberries, carrots, blueberries, cukes and carrots… and many days they come right back. Even trying my best, my kids won’t always eat what I wish they would, so this is when I turn to supplements. I realize that nothing can replace the quality, variety and even the availability of nutrients found in food, and in no way are supplements a replacement for a proper meal. But I also don’t want to my children to be deficient in important nutrients.
This is a daily struggle in my household. My kids love fruits but getting them to branch out and try different vegetables is hard and I know I’m not alone. In the past I have hidden vegetables in sauces and soups so I could ensure my kids had a more balanced meal, however, research shows that hiding veggies is not the best way to promote lifelong healthy eating. In order to do that, we have to build a child’s taste for veggies that will last them into adulthood, choosing healthy choices for life. I still hide them when I can just to get them into their bodies, but I also try and follow these tips to get my kids to eat their vegetables.
As parents, we know that our children are facing a different world than we did, and the research is accumulating on how this impacts our kids both with short- and long-term health effects. Environmental toxins are bad for everyone – adults and children, and even our pets. But children lack the detoxification mechanisms that adults have developed, and when children are exposed to chemicals, their smaller body size means they’re exposed to chemicals at a much higher rate than adults.
We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but this is especially true for children. Starting the day with a high-quality, nutritious meal can instantly put your children in a good mood and give them better concentration for all those hours of learning. But research shows that eating breakfast every day also has long-term effects, including decreasing the risk of obesity.
