Cooking Healthy for Kids: A Healthy DinnerAt the end of the day, one of the nicest things a family can do is to all have dinner together. As mentioned in another article, it's a great chance for families to regroup and bond, and to get to know each other better. Eating dinner as a family has also been linked to lessening the chances of obesity in children. A big part of the dinner process is enjoying the meal. The best family dinners are pleasant and yummy, making it something no child would ever want to skip out on! A healthy dinner is something that fulfills the rest of the daily-recommendations of the five food groups. Make sure it is well balanced, and not too much. Many people try to make up for whatever they missed out on during the day at dinner causing them to eat large dinners, and this isn't the best of ideas. After dinner most children tend to wind down and relax, which means that the calories they eat at dinner don't really get worked out. To top it off, food eaten during later parts of the evening is more likely to be stored as reserves rather than to be used for energy right away. This means that your child will end up gaining weight, and this can be a problem if they gain too much weight! Dinners should be nutritious, filling, but light or at the very least, not too heavy. One way to make sure your child's dinner is good and well balanced is for them to have eaten enough portions of the food groups during the day. This is where planning the menu can really help. You don't want your children to end up eating three cups of fruit for dinner, right? And it can be avoided by making sure they are eating healthily during the rest of their day too. Try to address your children's needed food groups, as this will make their meals truly healthy, and your child's body will respond to these foods best. Great dinners can even address all five food groups. One example is a chicken and vegetable whole wheat lasagna with fruit for dessert. For the healthiest dinner options which are light on the tummy, turn to your vegetables. A lot of vegetables at dinner is good for your child and can be tasty and filling at the same time. Grilled vegetables, or baked vegetables are always good dishes which you can pair with whole wheat pita bread. Your children will have a good time making their own pita wraps, and you can always add other things into a wrap, like hummus. Beans are a good and light form of protein, and you can get your protein requirements from a bean soup. If you like more traditional forms of protein though, try to go for fish four nights a week. This will boost your child's good cholesterol, and fish is usually filling, but has less calories than meats. Poultry, beef, pork, lamb and other meats can be eaten on other nights or during the lunchtime meal when your children still have afternoon play to burn the calories off. Grains are usually eaten with breakfast and lunch, so make sure you don't overdo the grains at dinner. If your children have already fulfilled their grains servings for the day, go with some mashed potatoes as the side dish to your dinner. This starchy vegetable goes well with most meals, and you can also mix in broccoli or squash to make colorful mashed potatoes that children will like eating. Finally, reserve your child's dairy servings to daytime so that they have a better chance of burning off the calories from these food items. This is especially true if your children cannot stand the taste of reduced fat milk. |
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How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
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