If your child’s hummingbird metabolism makes them ask for a snack every hour, you want feed them whole foods loaded with nutritional benefits as often as possible. Don’t feel guilty about letting your kiddo coat their carrot in Creamy Ranch. 

Can your go-to dip do that?

The post Take a Dip Without the Guilt appeared first on Vegy Vida.

Vegy Vida helps start the veggie relationship with your kiddo, but sometimes they need a little incentive. (Don’t we all?)

We created a tool called the BrocStar Certificate. It’s a fun, interactive way to motivate your child to simply give peas a chance, chomp on a carrot, maybe even eat a brussel sprout (hey, a girl can dream).

How does it work? It’s simple: try a veggie, cross it off the list!

Download our Official BrocStar™ Certificate to encourage your kids to take the BrocStar challenge. They’ll feel a sense of accomplishment as they check off each veggie they try.

It may not be love at first bite, but Vegy Vida® will help them learn healthy habits they’ll take with them the rest of their life.

Don’t forget! Mom-brag all the way to the playground and beyond by posting a pic of the completed certificate on Facebook or Instagram with #BrocStar for your chance to win some vegy cute prizes!

(Click here to download, print and play along: Official BrocStar™ Certificate)

The post Be a BrocStar: A Fun Way to Help Your Kids Eat Veggies appeared first on Vegy Vida.

If vitamin A is a super nutrient, then consider beta-carotene the Clark Kent of good health.

The pigment that gives many veggies and fruits their orange or red pigment, beta-carotene transforms into vitamin A in our bodies. It then goes on to protect our bodies in many ways, by supporting our immune systems, healthy skin and eyes.

As an antioxidant, vitamin A also protects our bodies from free radicals, which can lead to all kinds of negative health problems. Free radicals are molecules that are missing electrons, and in our bodies they become common villains, searching for electrons they can steal. When they do, the tissue or cell from which the electron is stolen is damaged.

So when you see color, you’re seeing a whole lot of protection.

Of course when we’re looking for beta-carotene we’re less likely to think of Clark Kent than we are a carrot, which is chockablock with the pigment. However, many other vegetables also contain beta-carotene. They include:

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Chinese cabbage (bok choy)
• Peas
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes

Another all-natural food that contains beta-carotene is Vegy Vida! For a double-dose of it and the vitamin A it turns into, here’s a super recipe specially designed for kids.

Cool Buffalo Rainbow Pizza

What you need:

• 1 can of pizza dough
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• ½ cup broccoli florets
• ½ cup purple cauliflower florets broken into bite-sized pieces
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup of Cool Buffalo Vegy Vida

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread out the pizza dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crust for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow it to cool to the touch, but keep the oven on.

Call in the kids! Ask them to coat the crust with the Cool Buffalo Vegy Vida. Then sprinkle it with mozzarella and top with the veggies.

Place the pizza back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Let it cool for a few minutes, then divide into triangles and serve. Your kids may not be able to leap tall buildings, but you can leap for joy that they’ve had a healthy meal.

For more Vegy Vida recipes, visit us here.

The post Beta-Carotene: The Kid-Friendly Nutrient That’s Easy on the Eyes appeared first on Vegy Vida.

Here’s a way to interest your kids in that head of cauliflower: Tell them it’s nearly 2,000 years old and was discovered by an army commander of the Roman Empire.

Pretty lofty, huh? But the humble-looking veggie’s nutritional value is just as impressive as its roots.

Cauliflower, part of the same family as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, is dense in vitamins and nutrients that promote bone development, immunity and digestion. It can taste pretty good, too. When Roman commander and naturalist Pliny the Elder discovered it in the 1^st century, he described cauliflower as “the most pleasant-tasted” of all the varieties of cabbage.

It also can be pleasant looking. In addition to the standard white, cauliflower can be found in orange, green and purple varieties. That might get your kid’s attention!

What gets our attention is its nutritional value. Let’s take a look at just how beneficial cauliflower is for growing bodies.

Vitamin C: A cup of cauliflower will provide more than three-quarters of the vitamin C recommended for a day. This is super news for kids, since vitamin C is great for building immunity and reducing the length of colds.

Vitamin K: That same cup of cauliflower contains 20 percent of the amount of vitamin K one should eat daily. K can protect our bodies from heart disease and cancer. But what makes it really important for kids is it helps with blood clotting – essential for healing scraped knees and other boo boos.

Vitamin B6: This vitamin proves its worth in brain development and in helping to form red blood cells. A cup of cauliflower provides one tenth of the amount we should get each day.

Manganese: Cauliflower is a very good source of this mineral antioxidant, which helps boost a kid’s metabolism. One cup carries nearly 10 percent of the daily amount you should get.

Potassium: A cup of cauliflower contains close to the same amount (10 percent) of potassium. Kids benefit from potassium because it helps maintain the functions of muscles, the nervous system, heart and kidneys.

Glucosinolates: These sulfur-containing phytonutrients, or plant compounds, support a whole bunch of growing body systems, including the digestive, immune, inflammatory and detoxification systems.

So how to package all of these great benefits in a dish? Grab an apron and call the kids.

Kid-Friendly Cool Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

With a prep time of five minutes and a cook time of 20, this recipe is as fast as it is kid-friendly.

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh cauliflower florets
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup Vegy Vida Cool Buffalo
• Vegy Vida Creamy Ranch (for dipping)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the garlic powder with the Vegy Vida Cool Buffalo and add salt and pepper. Ask the kids to scoop the florets into a gallon-sized, resealable plastic bag (make double-sure it’s closed!). Add the buffalo mixture and shake until it’s all well coated.

Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. When finger-ready, serve the bites with a side of Vegy Vida Creamy Ranch. Bet Pliny the Elder didn’t see this coming!

For other Vegy Vida recipes, visit us here.

The post Kid-Friendly Cauliflower: The Benefits of a Storied Veggie (and a Recipe) appeared first on Vegy Vida.

Why did the concerned mom cross the road? To get a healthier chicken sandwich.

Fast-food chicken and other foods are under the gun for an ingredient that generally is healthy, but in some cases can actually be harmful: phosphates.

The use of phosphate additives in fast foods, canned soups, cheese and baked goods has more than doubled since the 1990s. However, it is unclear how much we consume since it is not always listed.

This can be a threat to our kids, since too much added phosphorus (versus natural phosphates) can compromise bone strength and lead to other health problems, contends Christy Brissette, a dietician who wrote about phosphates in The Washington Post.

“Mark my words, phosphate additives will be the trans fats of the future,” she writes.

Know your phosphate additives

Phosphate additives should not be confused with natural phosphates, found in dairy, nuts, eggs and poultry. We need that – kids especially – to make protein, store energy and support bone health.

The compound additive of phosphorus is different. It is used to add color and flavor, make baked goods rise, emulsify soups and enhance the juiciness of chicken and meats after freezing and heating. Its prevalence alone means our bodies are getting more of it. Exacerbating this increase is that phosphate additives are thought to be more readily absorbed by our bodies.

While 40 percent to 60 percent of natural phosphates are absorbed, up to 90 percent of phosphate additives may be, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In short, if your kiddos drink lots of soda, they’re likely absorbing a lot of phosphoric acid.

Why worry?

So is this too much of a good thing? The answer depends on the source. The Food and Drug Administration considers phosphates safe for “intended use foods.” OK, sounds good.

But other research has linked “high-normal” levels of phosphates in the blood to diminished bone health or bone loss. Studies also have linked it to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“Excess amounts may disrupt calcium absorption as well as hormonal regulation of phosphorus, calcium and vitamin D,” statesBerkeley Wellness, a publication of the University of California.

Stoking the concerns is the widespread use of phosphate additives. It’s more than doubled over the past 27 years – yikes! But because the additive is not required to be listed on food and beverage labels, it is unclear how much we actually eat.

What to do

 That being said, phosphate additives are listed in ingredients lists.

Parents can keep an eye out for words that contain “phos-“ in foods ranging from cereal to yogurt. In meats, fish and poultry, pay attention to the sodium levels. If it contains more than 120 milligrams in a 4-ounce serving, it may have been enhanced with phosphate salt.

The best rule of thumb is to avoid foods that contain additives and ingredients that look unfamiliar. Opt for foods with ingredients your kids can pronounce, as well as fresh veggies because they pack the nutrients essential for healthy growth.

When it comes to good health, the question may not be whether to eat the chicken or the egg, but how it was processed. So choose on the side of all-natural – whether it comes to chicken, beverages or veggie dips.

The post Phosphates – The Little-Known Additive that May Threaten Kids’ Bones appeared first on Vegy Vida.

When it comes to good nutrition, a sandwich without veggies is full of baloney.

Sure, cold cuts and PB&J are great go-to’s for lunch in a pinch, but have you tried a full veggie sandwich? Vegetables pack nutrients that are essential to child development, including iron, protein, calcium and vitamins. Put a few pieces of veg between two slices of bread, and your kids have a lunch that should keep them alert and sated until school lets out.

We know not all kids are veggie friendly. This is largely because veggies taste stronger to kids than they do to adults, because kids have three times as many taste buds. However, if you pair the veggies with cheeses, lemon juice and/or all-natural dips, kids can learn to accept the taste of vegetables in time. Eventually, they could even like them.

So let’s not put off for tomorrow what can be accomplished this afternoon. Following are five veggie sandwich recipes that are easy to make and pack.

Confetti Rolls (makes two)

 This healthy rollup is big on versatility. You can use pretty much any finely chopped veggie – we use 2/3 a cup of zucchini, purple cabbage and red, orange and yellow bell peppers. Start with four tablespoons of hummus or two ounces of room-temperature Neufchatel cheese. Mix with a tablespoon of Creamy Ranch Vegy Vida and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese (optional). Divide the mixture and spread on two wheat tortillas. Sprinkle with the veggies. Roll tight and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for an hour or up to a day. Before serving (or packing) cut into one-inch slices.

Mighty Spinach-and-Cream Cheese Bagel Bites

You can call these Mighty Bites for short. Spinach, kale and many other leafy greens are rich in iron, which helps muscles store and use oxygen. For this sandwich, we suggest using fresh greens. Mix them in with softened cream cheese (chop the leaves first if needed). Spread the mixture on the bottom half of a bagel. Add a squirt of honey or agave syrup for sweetness (optional), or top with Savory Bacon Vegy Vida (it’s oink-free!). Place the second half of the bagel on top and cut into four to six pieces. Serve with toothpicks.

Peas and Carrot Tops

Rich in vitamins A, B, C and K as well as fiber, this p-easy sandwich can include a slice of turkey breast or cheese for protein. Blend one cup of room-temperature peas in a food processor with two tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon (optional). Spread the pea-like pesto on slices of wheat bread. Sprinkle with shredded carrots and top off with a second slice. Cut into four triangles, or carrot tops. Thanks for the inspiration, SuperHealthyKids!

Roasted Veggie “Burgers”

What makes this veggie sandwich like a burger is the bun (we like onion). It can include pretty much any veggie you like roasted – peppers, yellow squash and zucchini slices, portobello mushroom or eggplant rounds. Add a slice of your kid’s favorite cheese while the veggies are hot so it gets melty. Or, before packing, top with Vegy Vida Cheesy Cheddar or Cool Buffalo. Wrap in foil to keep warm in the lunch box.

Martha’s Chicken-and-Broccoli Pockets

Broccoli is a star among veggies. It is high in vitamins A and B as well as iron and magnesium (good for energy and digestion). This sandwich combines coarsely chopped cooked broccoli and chicken breast with cheddar and Jarlsberg cheeses, but you can substitute some of the cheese with Cheesy Cheddar Vegy Vida. Tightly wrap the mixture in flour tortillas and bake about 12 minutes. Cut in half or quarters and pack them up. Thanks for the idea, Martha Stewart!

Lastly, if you have time, dress the sandwiches up with decorative toothpicks or include a little story about the veggies. Explain that the carrots will help her see the teacher better, or that the broccoli will make him stronger in gym class.

And ask for feedback. Kids like not only to be heard, but also to be taken seriously. Not all sandwiches will work, but together you can find a starting point.

Good luck! For more Vegy Vida recipes, visit us here.

The post Little Slice of Healthy: 5 Veggie Sandwiches for the Kids appeared first on Vegy Vida.

Kids grow so fast, but are they growing well?

One day they’re mastering a tricycle and the next, it seems, they’re asking for the car keys. In the years between, the fuel that drives healthy growth also is shifting.

True, the basic food groups that benefit growing bodies may not change a whole lot – veggies, fruits and lean proteins are essential. However, kids will require greater portions of certain nutrients at different youth stages for healthy growth.

From three wheels to two wheels to four, our kids will conquer new challenges and address emerging needs with each year. We’ll be there with them, of course, but it’s our job to ensure they have what’s necessary to stand on their own two feet when they become adults. Central to this is good health.

Let’s look at how the nutritional needs of our growing kids change across three age groups, with guidelines from the Mayo Clinic.

Ages 4 to 8

Girls in this age group should consume 1,200 to 1,800 calories, and boys from 1,200 to 2,000. This should include 1.5 to 2.5 cups of veggies a day.

This is a tough but crucially important age for establishing lifetime eating habits. As much as possible, try to reinforce a healthy diet with your kids. This will condition them to accept more nutritious foods as they mature.

Offer a variety of veggies, making a point continue cycling in ones kids may have rejected earlier. Kids’ tastes change as they mature, and friends and peers are likely to influence them. If the kids routinely resist veggies, then make vegetables the first part of the meal. Kids will be less likely to complain about being full.

Similarly, resist the urge to add salt and sugar to foods. The less kids are accustomed to of these enhancers, the more likely processed foods will taste too sweet or salty later in life.

Ages 9 to 13

In this age group, girls should consume 1,400 to 2,200 calories and boys from 1,600 to 2,600. Girls of this age should eat 1.5 to 3 cups of veggies a day, and boys, 2 to 3.5 cups.

At this stage of growth, kids should accumulate nutrients in preparation for the rapid growth spurts that occur during adolescence. However, girls will experience these spurts before boys, at ages 10 to 11. Boys will more likely enter this stage at ages 11 to 13.

As girls enter their teens and puberty, they’ll need lots of iron, which can be found in spinach and other leafy greens. Boys will require added protein for muscles, found in peas, broccoli, mushrooms and lima beans, among other veggies.

Both boys and girls will need to eat more calcium and vitamin D to accommodate their growing bones. Good veggie sources for calcium include kale, broccoli and collard greens, the latter of which delivers 35 percent of the recommended daily allowance of calcium per cup.

Ages 14 to 18

Girls in this maturing age group should consume 1,800 to 2,400 calories, and boys from 2,000 to 3,200, depending on their growth and activity levels.

We know – WOW! That’s a lot of calories! But a kid’s metabolism is peaking at this age, which will affect his or her appetite. The foods they eat, including veggies, should assist their bodies in turning all those calories into energy.

Avocados, sweet potatoes and mushrooms all carry B-5, which helps our bodies do so. B-5 also produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep cycles. Girls should eat 2.5 to 3 cups of veggies a day and boys, 2.5 to 4 cups.

Throughout your kids’ life stages, keep in mind that how you want them to eat tomorrow depends a lot on what they are fed today. Sure, occasional sweets are fine, even good, in a well-balanced diet. However, do not assume your kids’ raging metabolism justifies them eating whatever they want.

Diet, like many activities, can be easily based on routine. This means the eating habits they adopt today will likely carry into their 20s and beyond.

The post Childhood Nutrition by Age: How Veggies Help Healthy Growth appeared first on Vegy Vida.

If the forests are the lungs of our lands, as Franklin Roosevelt eloquently put it, then consider gardens to be little sighs of joy.

Gardens bring light to cloudy mornings, comfort at quiet moments and happiness to the table. When grown as an activity with the kids, gardens also yield a year’s worth of memories, delivered in Technicolor brilliance from a vase or a plate.

Indeed, not only is it true that a little dirt never hurt anyone, but in the case of gardening, a little dirt can heal a lot of small daily woes. These woes can range from too much digital screen time to childhood veggie suspicion. Getting the kids to help in the garden is a long-term, practical way to introduce them to new veggies and nurture a respect for them. Kids may even learn to (yes!) like them.

Treasure Chest of Encouragement

As explained in “Rodale Organic Life”: “Your garden is your treasure chest; you and your young gardener – exploring together – can discover its priceless bounty for an afternoon’s delight or for a lifetime.”

That lifetime of loving the soil can begin today, in early spring. In many parts of the country the ground is soft enough to turn and take seed. Where it is not, seeds can be started indoors in small pots.

The trick is ensuring the kids have positive experiences – we don’t want them to get discouraged. That means planting a mix of fast-growing and slower-moving veggies, so the kids can measure success. It also means teaching them about the importance of sun, water and certain insects.

Another trick to success is starting a garden at a manageable size, with just a few varieties. You and your little gardeners can add more once you see how the plants come in.

Choosing Your Seeds

It’s important the kids feel invested in the garden, so ask them to help choose which plants to grow. Following are some early spring veggie suggestions:

Lettuces: Mixed salad greens like the hot sun, but they do not require it all day so pick a place with partial shade. They also grow rather fast, which is rewarding for the kids. They can enjoy them into the fall.

Peas: If planted in April, green peas and sugar peas will be ready to eat in May, according to Urban Farmer. Few veggies are as much fun to pick and eat right off the vine, or to shuck at the table.

Pole beans: Since they grow on a vine, pole beans free up space and add a dimension of interest. Be sure the air temperature is relatively warm when planted, and sow a few varieties over a period of days, for a continual crop.

Peppers: It’s best to start peppers indoors and then replant outside when the chance of frost is gone. Peppers do not take up a lot of real estate and can produce in high numbers, so they’re a good bang-for-buck veggies.

Carrots: This is a veggie that teaches patience and rewards it richly. Plant carrots by April and you’ll have a crop in early summer. There’s something exciting about pulling on carrot greens and seeing what comes out of the ground. Sometimes the carrot grows into two, like a pair of legs!

Spinach: This is a cool veggie, literally. Spinach likes lower temperatures so you can plant it as soon as you want. It will produce for you until it gets hot out, so be sure to harvest it before the temps rise too much.

Beets: If you get the beet seeds in the ground by April you should be enjoying them by early summer. And don’t forget – the greens are good for eating, too.

Among the many beauties of growing veggies is they open doors to learning other things – about weather, pests and cooking. When your veggies are ripe the kids can help pick and prepare them in recipes you’ve chosen together.

One last piece of advice: Don’t be too particular. If the kids drop a few too many seeds in one hole or their rows aren’t straight, let it go. The goal is to grow something together, and that includes confidence as well as food.

The post The Dirt on Growing Kid-Friendly Spring Veggies appeared first on Vegy Vida.

It may just be a coincidence. Kids get out of school the same time that our circadian rhythms recover from one of the day’s strongest sleep-drive periods. But that rapid downshift from feats of interpretive dance to emotional meltdowns? That’s probably not a coincidence.

Kids, like toys about to use up their batteries, don’t know when they are going to run out of juice. It’s up to us to spot the signs, and to choose refueling snacks that will ensure a smooth recovery. Don’t underestimate the power of ingredients in this selection. Those snacks can spell the difference between focused thoughts and crazy mood swings.

So let’s outsmart physiology. Snacks packed with brain-alerting ingredients, including peppers, sweet potatoes and leafy greens, will help improve your kids’ memories and moods. At the same time, they’ll keeping energy levels stable – not running amuck.

The following five snacks are balanced with kid-friendly ingredients, so expect less “yuck” faces. Bonus: They are easy to make with the kids. Enjoy!

Zesty Southwest Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Taquitos

This hand-held snack is high in vitamin C from sweet potatoes and iron from beans. And boy, do they work together well. Sweet potatoes are complex carbohydrates, providing the little ones with long-lasting energy. Vitamin C also boosts immunity and enhances the body’s ability to absorb the iron from the beans. You can enroll the kids to help toss the potatoes and beans with corn and cheese. Then add in a mixture of softened cream cheese and Zesty Southwest Veggie Vida. Spread the combined ingredients on tortillas, roll and bake. Click here for the recipe!

Power Rolls

These rollups are lean, green and mean on midday doldrums. Spinach, collards, chard and kale are brimming with brain-boosting folate, vitamins C and K, calcium and beta-carotene. Their leaves, which you can boil and chill ahead, serve as the shells. For the filling, use your choice of beans, brown rice and niblet-sized carrots, peas and red peppers. Mix the ingredients in an orange juice-based dressing with sesame seeds. (This also can be done in advance; just store the mixture in the fridge.) When ready, call the kids in to spoon the mix into the leaves and roll them up. If you feel fancy, stick a frilly toothpick in each. Ready to go! Thanks for the inspiration, Whole Foods Market!

Spinach- and Cheese-Stuffed Mini Peppers

These adorable little peppers conceal the power of iron by way of spinach. A cheese of your choice makes for protein, and the peppers are big in vitamin C, one of iron’s good friends. This is a little-fist-sized snack, but can be turned into a meal with the addition of baked chicken. Heat up in a large skillet some tomato sauce, cooked brown rice or quinoa, fresh spinach. Add a half-cup each of cottage cheese, Parmesan and mozzarella. Stuff the tomato-cheese mixture into halved peppers. Bake for 10 minutes. Great recipe, SuperHealthyKids!

Sweet ‘Tater Tots or Fries

Sweet potato fries can be baked, making these a fairly fuss-free snack. Just toss cut sweet potatoes in a mix of oil, salt and seasonings, such as garlic powder and paprika. Bake for half an hour. We like dipping them in Zesty Southwest or Creamy Ranch Vegy Vida. It’s free of preservatives, sugar and MSG. If you have more time, boil the potatoes first and then grate them to make the foundation for tots. Mix the grated potatoes with garlic salt, onion powder, Savory Bacon Vegy Vida and other seasoning. At this point the kids can help make tot forms with their perfectly sized hands. Fry for about five minutes and let cool before digging in. Learn more about these recipes here.

Kale Chips

Kale is up there with broccoli when it comes to super-nutritious foods. Kale, however, edges out broccoli on the protein front and delivers more of many vitamins and nutrients. De-stem a bunch of washed kale leaves. Further divide the halved leaves into pieces small enough for a child, keeping in mind the pieces will shrink a bit while cooking. Lay the kale out on a towel or spin in a salad spinner until completely dry. Toss in a small amount of seasoned olive oil, making sure each leaf is coated, and bake for 10 minutes. Spritz with lemon or lime, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or serve as is. Thanks for the idea, and for several variations, Modern Parents, Messy Kids!

With these recipes, your kids will not only get a shot of alertness at homework time, they’ll have a fun after-school activity. And since many of these snacks can be prepped ahead, you’ll be smartly on cue to avoid a total meltdown.

The post After the Bell (Pepper): 5 After-School Veggie Snacks for Smarty-Pants appeared first on Vegy Vida.

The path that leads to a lifetime of good nutrition is interrupted by many forks, or choices. When making these choices for your kids, do you know what you would like on the fork?

This is no trick question, just an opportunity to consider the importance of food decisions in our hectic daily lives. And now is the time to do it, since March is National Nutrition Month. Created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 1973 as a weeklong event, National Nutrition Month (NNM) has since blossomed into a 31-day celebration of better family nutrition and well-being.

For us, that includes lots of veggies. We see NNM as a mile marker on the road to healthier eating and fewer mealtime negotiations. And the fork? Let’s consider that to be our guide. As this year’s National Nutrition Month theme advises, “Put Your Best Fork Forward.”

Just remember, it begins with just one step. We know every journey has its ups and downs and unexpected turns. To smooth out the bumps, we offer five tips for starting a lifetime of good health for your kids:

1. Don’t tell kids what they like (or dislike): Kids’ palates change fast, so treat every approach to a new food or vegetable as if it is the first. This means avoiding telling your children that they may dislike a certain food – they’ll believe you even if they do like it. Similarly, your child might not trust you when you suggest she or he will like something new. They may, however, be willing to try that same food with friends or peers.
2. Set a good (munch, crunch) example: Your kids are not only watching you, they are following your lead. So set a good one. Eat lots of veggies, including ones you aren’t crazy about, and make it be known. Then invite your kids to join you. Tell them, “You know, I’m in the mood for some celery. How about you?” If they decline, surprise them by preparing the veggie in an unexpected way, such as an hors d’oeuvre with toothpicks. They may change their minds and ask to join you.
3. Start early – and early: Good nutrition begins in the high chair, and often early in the day. Research shows it is best to introduce babies to solid foods, including veggies, first thing in the morning or after a nap, because they will be hungrier. Also, make the food the center of attention – avoid distractions such as the television and energetic siblings.
4. Bite the veggies, and bite your tongue: When enjoying a meal or snack with your kids, resist the urge to comment about what and how much they are eating. As explained in Parents magazine, if you say things like, “Eat your vegetables,” your kid will more likely push them away. Similarly, it’s important to talk about your kid’s eating habits with friends and the teacher, but try not to do so in earshot of the child. What you say has influence.
5. Keep what’s healthy, healthy: We get it; the appeal and ease of ranch dressing and other dips is powerful. There’s nothing wrong with veggie “aids,” but preservative-free, all-natural flavor enhancers (not hiders) will get better long-term results. Nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom are great on eggplant and squash. Lemon and orange zest can brighten asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower. If your kid prefers a dip or topper, choose something that is 100% natural and sugar free. Vegy Vida, for example, is preservative-free and right in the produce aisle, where you can load up on healthy veggies.

We know that maintaining optimum nutrition at meal time can be a challenge, but withstand the temptation to stick a fork in the whole situation. Tiny victories pave the path to good nutrition – one step, and forkful, at a time.

The post National Nutrition Month and Kids: 5 Ways to Put Your Best Fork Forward appeared first on Vegy Vida.