Cod Liver Oil!

I just discovered a lemon smoothie flavored cod liver oil. To my surprise, it tastes great! Like a smoothie. This might be the greatest invention ever. Completely kid proof. My son reminds me if I have forgotten to give it to him. It's the easiest way to give omega 3 fatty acids to children!

Jordan

The other day, a friend asked if I could watch her kids for a few hours. (Ages 9 and 2 ½) It would be in the evening so she told me that her 2 ½ year old is very picky about eating and pretty much all he eats is spaghetti O’s or pizza. “I’ll send over a can of spaghetti O’s with him” The first thing that came to mind (and I kept it in my head) was Gross!......there will be no spaghetti O’s in my house! I can work with pizza though. “Don’t worry about it….we’ll make pizza” I told her. So that’s what we did. The kids helped me make the pizza with whole wheat dough and Jordan (2 ½ year old) counted the uncured nitrate free pepperoni as we placed it on top. We also made a salad. Jordan helped tear the green lettuce leaves and I cut up carrot and red bell pepper sticks. I always make sure to make plain salads for kids and keep the veggies on the side. I’ve learned that children like things separated. We put lettuce into bowls and topped them with a slightly sweet, yummy, poppy seed dressing and displayed the colorful carrot and pepper sticks on a big plate which we set in the middle of the table. Jordan helped set a plate of pizza and a bowl of salad at each setting. He was excited to call the big boys (his brother and my son) to come and eat. We all sat down. I didn’t say a word to Jordan about any of the food that was in front of him. The older boys immediately started eating carrots and peppers. Jordan watching, reached out and took a carrot stick and a pepper stick and placed them on his plate next to the pizza. He then took a bite of pizza. He watched the older boys as they devoured everything hearing his big brother exclaim “ummm….this salad is really good”. Jordan picked up his fork and took a bite of his salad. He smiled! He then decided to try the carrot stick. He nibbled back and forth between the pizza, salad, and carrot stick. Finally, he got brave and picked up the red bell pepper stick, took a bite, and this time decided that he didn’t like it so much. So he went back to the carrot. At the end of our meal time, Jordan ate all of his pizza, most of the carrot stick, and his entire bowl of salad! Success! And not once did I tell him that he had to eat his veggies!

Childhood Obesity

Children in the United States are becoming increasingly overweight! This is scary. These children are at a high risk for illness in their adult lives. Parents need to understand that it is up to us to educate ourselves to learn how to nourish our own bodies. It is only then that we can pass this knowledge down to our children. The first important lesson we need to know is that food is not the enemy! The food we eat is a source of energy for our bodies to function at optimal levels. Our society tells us to go on diets and eliminate foods that we love. This almost always will backfire and create a stronger craving for that food. Putting children on a diet can be detrimental. Not only will it take the enjoyment out of eating but it can cause self esteem issues and a lifetime of negative associations with food. We need to reverse the trend that we are seeing and help our children see food in a different light. Like I said, this starts with us, the parents. Children learn what they are exposed to. We can start with baby steps. If the family feels like cheeseburgers for dinner, go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients. Make them at home. This will eliminate the trans fat that you would get from a restaurant like McDonald's. Use cheese that is not processed. Quality meat and green lettuce increase the nutrient density. Let children help wash and dry the lettuce. When children help prepare meals it increases the chance that they will eat or at least try a new food. We have to take the TIME needed to change the way we eat and make it a priority. Fast food is convenient but it also decreases our lifespan!

A little about me...

Welcome to "If you love me, don't feed me junk food". I am a nutrition student at Bastyr University dedicated to helping children and their parents change their lives through whole foods. I taught preschool for 12 years (and loved it!) but have decided to take a fork in the road down a slightly different path. Children and nutrition...such a hot topic! I am a single mom to an intelligent, athletic ten year old and I am proud to say that he eats kale! He's not perfect...absolutely will not eat green beans...but we have learned how to compromise. Bringing my own child up on whole foods has NOT been an easy task! Children are influenced by so many things in their environment. About a year ago he said to me "I just want to be like a normal kid"! His friends don't bring carrots and apples in their lunch...or BROWN bread! He has taught me that when dealing with children we need to be able to compromise and sometimes make deals! We want our children to enjoy the food their eating and not think of it as a negative experience. I have faith that although my son will not eat green beans now, eventually he will. Kids go through phases and can be very picky...it's called childhood. It's up to us (parents) to love, guide, educate, and nourish their souls in a positive direction. The purpose of this blog is to help guide parents through the obstacles of our food supply and talk about what works and what doesn't. Every child is different, every family is different.....