Feeding Our Kiddos

Vegetarian chili (made with dark red kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, water, and spices) with a few crushed organic corn chips on top and cornbread

Scrambled eggs, sweet potato fries, and mango

Organic grapes and a sandwich made with whole grain bread, hummus, organic cheese, and alfalfa sprouts.

I know many parents who say how impossible it is to get kids to eat healthy, so they give in---again, and again, and again. The problem is that giving up and giving in results in children forming habits that effect them for their entire lives. Why do you think we have so many adults struggling to obtain a healthy weight, body, mind, and spirit?

Eating is complex. No doubt about it. But I believe as parents that we have a big job to do, and if we can do it right or even close-to-right, we are not only saving our kids from a lifetime of being overweight (and all the physical side effects), but from a lifetime of never feeling good enough about oneself.

Above are recent photos of some meals I made for my family. The pictures are taken from above my daughter's high chair tray. Does she always eat everything? Nope! Does she sometimes eat it all? Yep! Does she sometime say BLAHHHHH and let the food fall out of her mouth while asking for a cookie? Yep! The key is to keep trying and to make food healthy, fun, and colorful. And, parents, to decide your child's health means you're going to have to say "no" and "try" instead of caving in to their every whine.

As we approach a long and wonderful holiday season, let's think about the gifts we can give our family year-round. How about a healthy mindset toward food and the foods themselves that feed tummies and minds and self-esteems?