Healthy eating starts with portion size. Most of us tend to oversize our servings. So pay close attention to the number of servings in a recipe. Choose the most nutritious foods that are lower in calories. You will find that fruits, vegetables, whole grains, skim milk products, and fat free products will give you the most nutritious foods for the least money. When you read labels pay most attention to protein, fiber, and fat. Aim for less fat and more fiber. The more ingredients that you don't recognize on the label the less healthy the product is. When feeding your family, think color.
- Red; Tomatoes, watermelon, red peppers, contain Lycopene, and antioxidant; they are also a good source of potassium, vitamins A and C.
- Blue and purple; Blueberries, and eggplant, are rich in antioxidant flavonoids.
- Green; Leafy greens, cucumber, and broccoli, provide A and C, plus fiber and calcium.
- White; Mushrooms, are rich in vitamin D, and B, white potatoes are loaded with potassium, onions and garlic have a sulfur component that gives flavor and health benefits.
- Orange and Yellow; these fruits and vegetables have beta carotene, also an antioxidant. They are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as folate and potassium.
Research has shown that these colorful foods may help prevent diseases such as cancer and and heart disease. Vary your fruits and vegetables according to the season. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in every meal. Your choices are almost endless. Bananas, papayas, avocados, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, corn, onions, green beans, peas, peaches, pears, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, plums, okra, turnips, potatoes, A colorful diet offers plenty of nutritional benefits.
To get your kids to eat more veggies and fruits, cut them into pieces and stick them on tooth picks. Keep a small dish of carrots on the counter and have them see who can crunch the loudest.
- Consider these kid friendly snacks.
- Ants on a log; Celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
- Apple slices sprinkled with a little sugar and cinnamon or Parmesan cheese
- Banana slices or strawberries dipped in a little chocolate syrup or cool whip
Offer vegetables at different times of the day- you can offer tomatoes with scrambled eggs, or a bowl of berries for a midday snack. There are no rules as long as everybody get their fruits and veggies.
