Healthy Menu Planning TipsOne of the best ways to ensure that you eat healthy food and that your children have healthy food choices like the ones listed above is to plan a menu for your home. This assures you that you are providing healthy choices for your kids, and it also helps you buy only what is necessary, which means no food goes to waste, which in turn saves you some money! Since you know your children best, you will know what they will want to eat, and what healthy foods they like. Start your menu with this in mind. If you're unsure, ask you children what their favorite foods are, and you can begin with that list too! Buying foods that you know your children will eat is a good start towards healthy eating, and a sound way to plan a menu. When making a menu, plan for all the meals of at least one week. A one week menu can be hard to plan, but the more you do it, the more you will get used to it. You can also get some help from the Internet or cookbooks for healthy meals or recipes you can use on your menu. This is a great way for you and your kids to try new dishes, and to help your kids acquire a more cultured palate. To be safe, you will want to stick to many basics and “winners” first, but you can introduce one or two new dishes once a week, along with a new fruit. Variety is good for your kids. It will encourage them to be adventurous eaters, and educating them on different cuisines will help them because they will be able to eat and know about the many different kinds of food when they visit other countries in the future. Start planning your menu on a Sunday morning or even on a Saturday night. If you have good ideas during the week, you can make notes of these ideas as well. Once your menu for the week is all planned out, do the groceries on Sunday afternoon. Since you know exactly what you're going to serve for each meal, you will be able to get exact amounts of each of the needed ingredients. This way nothing goes to waste. Many healthy grocery stores allow you to take only what you need, so this is very helpful. When asking the grocery to bag your purchases, ask them to pack it in the quantities you will be using them in. For example, if you are serving chicken twice that week, don't tell them to put all the chicken together. Tell them to separate them in bags. There can be two pieces in one bag and four pieces in another. Packaging your food in the quantities you will be using them in will be easier for you, as you don't have to keep defrosting and freezing the same bag. Plan to eat the vegetables and fruits early in the week. For example, ripe eggplant, zucchini, and tomato won't last more than a few days, and should definitely be eaten while still fresh. If you buy ripe fruits and vegetables, be sure that you eat them between Sunday dinner to Wednesday dinner. Doing your groceries once a week ensures that all your food is fresh, and that you are only taking what you need. You can stock up on some foods like pasta, canned vegetables, and the like, but make sure you use what you have in your kitchen before buying more. Remember that fresh is always better! Next Article: Healthy Eating and Children: The Importance of Eating Together |
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How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
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