it is not uncommon to see obese kids nowadays. once obesity was sth that only adults had to face, but now this sad reality has met our kids. we all know very well that the food industry is trying to catch us with all its tentacles, but i also believe that we are just partially victims. nowadays it's kinda impossible to avoid all the GMO and chemicals found in food also because it hasn't been affected only the soil, but also the atmosphere. so if we don't have a choice but get organic food with some chemicals on it, we do have a choice to avoid certain potentially harmful foods containing processed cereals, sugar, hydrogenated oils etc. so yes, i do think the parents are responsible for their kids health. if a kid is obese or has cavities, it's the parents' fault. i know your kid spends great part of the day apart from you and that it's kinda impossible to control what he puts into his mouth. this is where education and lifestyle plays an important role. if you've always fed your kids with junk, you can't pretend they'll start eating veggies from today on. that's practically impossible. this is why it's important that you start when they are babies. but if you missed that train, don't worry, there's still a chance you can change your kids' eating habits. it will take triple the work, but in the end it's all worth it.
so here are a few tips:
-gather your family together and take this decision together. supporting and inspiring each other is very important in this cases. of course, not everybody will agree with you to start this journey, but don't lose faith... they'll change their mind sooner or later.
-watch these movies with your family:
"Food Ink"
"Hungry for Change"
-let your kids and hubby/ wife help you clean the kitchen of junk. the ideal situation would be if you threw the junk away, 'cos junk is junk but if you wish you can donate it too a charity.
-get a cook book with healthy recipes. this will definitely help you on your journey. usually people think that eating healthy is boring and tasteless.. but those who follow my page for a while now, know well that this is very untrue. you can still bake and prepare delicious meals even by using healthy ingredients. yes, there will be tons of recipes of which i don't approve of, but here we are not talking "diet", here we are talking "assessing healthy eating habits". having a dessert with agave is still better than having ice-cream or a doughnut. there's also no need to worry about calories and macros at the beginning. just choose healthy ingredients and you are safe. also make sure that the recipes are not complicated so that you won't need to spend too much time in the kitchen. usually the fitness gurus have cookbooks with simple recipes for everyday life.
-go grocery shopping with your family and choose together healthy foods. choose fresh ingredients, whole grains and healthy fats. avoid any food that has a tv commercial. boxed or canned foods should have max 3 ingredients (the main one, water and salt). don't buy any junk food! if it's not in the house, you won't eat it. very simple. and if you are hungry, you'll eat what you have.
-plan your meals ahead. prepare your kids' snacks and lunch for school. make sure there's always fresh fruit on the counter. pre-portioning healthy snacks is always a great idea because it makes them easy to grab.
-make sure each meal contains some kind of lean protein. can be fish, chicken, plain greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, deli meats like lean ham, a slice or two of a low fat cheese etc.
-give your kids a fruit, whole grain carbs and healthy fats for a snack along with lean protein. (eg. 1 piece of fruit, a whole grain sandwich with ham/chicken and cheese or greek yogurt mixed with stevia and topped with blueberries and plain oats, plus a handful of nuts or carrots and nuts)
-make sure your kids eat every 2-3 hours. this is very important not only because the kids are very active, but also because if they get too hungry they'll start craving junk, especially sugars. always carry healthy snacks with you... can be almonds or healthy protein bars etc.
-get yourself and the kids a BPA-free water bottle and make sure they always carry it around with them.
-make sure the kids get their veggies at the main meals, especially dinner. you can give them carrots for lunch, if they eat at school.
-don't just steam the veggies. steamed veggies are yucky. no one likes steamed veggies. you can steam them till they are still crunchy and then saute them with spices and herbs. i like garlic, black pepper and salt. served with lemon juice and a drizzle of oil are very yummy.
-it is ok to give your kids whey protein. formula contains whey and little quantities are perfectly fine for kids. you can buy pure whey instead of whey isolate and add a tablespoon to the milk&cereal in the morning. in this way you'll rise the protein value of the meal. protein is very important especially during the growth process. our body can create carbs (glucose) from protein but it can't create protein from any macronutrient. our body needs protein to grow and re-new itself so it's very important that our kids get enough protein. treat whey as a supplement not as a replacement for whole lean protein like fish and meat.
-load half of the plate with veggies, 1/4 with whole grain carbs and 1/4 with lean protein. add 1-2 tsp oil (olive, flax seed) or a small handful of almonds.
-make sure your kids and the whole fam is involved in some kind of sport. spend time outdoors being active.
if you want to read more on how to make your kids eat healthy, take a look at the articles i wrote some time ago:
#healthykids #healthymeals #mealprep #family
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