Cheese puffs, chocolate cake, soda pop, and milkshakes- are these the things our little boys and girls are made of?

Do you remember the original Willy Wonka Movie? There is a scene where the winners of the Golden Tickets enter the fantastic world of Willy Wonka’s Factory to find every imaginable and unimaginable candy creation. Even the river is filled with melted chocolate. It is a place that every child’s favorite candy is within reach. But the kids that eat, and eat, and eat every sweet they pass, end up with a problem and are eliminated from the contest. The only boy left is the one with self control who follows the directions.

Now imagine being your child and going through every aisle in a grocery store and seeing all of the colorful and fun looking foods. Wow, I bet it is a bit like seeing all of those treats in Willy Wonka’s factory. A bit overwhelming for most kids at first glance. Who blames them- the colorful, fun shaped, sugary foods are very enticing.

Your child begs for the sugary cereal pops and frosted pop tarts and Sunny D Drink. What is a parent to do? Well we have to teach our kids about healthy food choices and how they affect our bodies. We have to be the adult and make sure we are serving healthy foods and on occasion offer them a reasonable treat.

Here are 10 tips to help you make healthier food choices for your kids and serve them age-appropriate food portions.

• Serve fresh (or frozen) fruits and vegetables at Every Meal 
• Serve water regularly and limit the amount of milk and juice a child drinks each day
• Serve wheat or white wheat bread and brown rice or whole wheat pasta instead of White Bread or Rice.
• Buy healthier versions of the foods your child enjoys or save for an occasional treat. For example they sell strawberry yogurt with Dora and Diego on it with less sugar and no artificial food coloring or they sell organic yogurt- you can switch this out with the yogurt with more sugar and food coloring.
• Serve healthy and low-fat dips with fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks to encourage kids to eat more healthy foods.
• Talk to your kids about the benefits of eating healthy foods- it gives your body and mind energy, and helps you grow.
• Model positive eating habits to your kids- Show them how much you like a certain fruit or veggie or healthy meal.
  • We eat carrots and apples with peanut butter and when I am eating this snack I say, “Mmmm. My carrots and apples will help me make my muscles stronger” And I show them my arm muscle. It gets them excited to show me their muscles and they usually eat the veggie.
  • Another trick or game is to tell them what animal eats that food (ex. Monkeys eat Bananas so I ask, “Can we all pretend we are a monkey and eat a banana?”- kids love to pretend to be animals, so this is a fun way to introduce food and encourage them to eat it)

Quick Guide to Portions:

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