Kids Food Pyramid: What You Should Have in Your KitchenIt goes without saying that you should always have healthy food in your kitchen, and you should have a wide variety for your children to choose from. This may mean going to the grocery store once a week so that you're sure your food is fresh, especially your fruits and vegetables. Some foods you can keep stock of, but make sure that you use them, and they will eventually get replaced. Don't get into the habit of keeping food for long periods of time. The older food gets, the less nutrients it can provide for you and your children. Use your foods as soon as possible, and before you stock up on the same or new items. Use the following as a guide as to what you should have in your kitchen: Grains This is one of the easiest food groups to sell your kids. Young children especially like grains. It has a pretty neutral flavor, and it comes in many forms. When your child is older, you will be switching them to whole grains, and this can be quite tasty as well. Here's a list of a good variety of grains that you can have in your home at all times. Remember that half of your grains servings should be whole grain, and if you can make all your grains servings whole grain then even better! Bread or whole wheat bread. Great for making sandwiches and for packed lunches. You can also make toast at breakfast or croûtons for salads. Remember that you can find many forms of whole wheat bread these days including crackers, burger and hotdog buns, and even pastries made out of whole wheat! Pasta or whole wheat pasta. This is a great grain that should be a staple in homes. It's easy to cook, and your sauce options are limitless. Just remember that whole wheat pasta takes a few minutes longer to cook than regular pasta. Rice or brown rice. Regular rice like jasmine rice is a good grain, but brown rice is even better. There is a lot of fiber and nutrients in brown rice. You can also try other forms of healthier rice. Apart from brown, there is red, pink, and black, all of which are healthier than white. Tortilla or whole wheat tortilla, Pita or whole wheat pita. For Mexican and Greek food or other wraps, this can take the place of bread from time to time. Oatmeal. Sometimes this is a hard sell to children, but the fibers found in oatmeal help flush out a lot of junk from your kids' systems. If you want to add flavor to your child's oatmeal, cut up some strawberries or other fruit to add color and sweetness. Whole wheat cereal. Encourage your children to eat whole wheat cereal. It is usually just as good, and if they don't find it sweet enough, just like the oatmeal you can chop up some fruit and mix it in. Keep your children away from sugary cereals as this isn't very healthy for them. Muesli is also a good alternative to cereal in the morning. Popcorn. Yes! Hard to believe, but popcorn is a grain, and a great one at that because it is whole wheat! Your children will love having popcorn as a snack, and it doesn't feel like healthy food. Just go easy on the butter and the salt, and you can have a healthy treat everyday or every time you go see a movie with your kids! Page 2: Kids Food Pyramid: What You Should Have in Your Kitchen |
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How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
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