Clean eating…for your kids?
What is clean eating exactly? Find out more about how it can promote a healthier diet for you family.
At the beginning of every new year, many families focus on ways to adopt healthier behaviors. And many times, I often have to encourage parents not to adopt the trendy, fad-diets that are popular this month. But not this time. This year I want you to be the trendiest family on the block.
To tell you the truth, clean eating is anything, but trendy. It's a back to basics approach where the focus is on choosing the best option in each food group, and not eliminating entire food groups. My favorite clean eating website, TheGraciousPantry.com, says it best as the author defines "clean" as eating, "whole, real and healthy foods that give our bodies the nutrients they need to function at their best."
The goal is to choose foods with the highest nutritional value like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and minimize the amount of processed foods in the diet. Most children don't need to have calories counted and fat grams strictly monitored in order to be healthy. Children do require a consistent variety of nutrients to give their active bodies what they need for growth, building a strong immune system, and brain development.
How can you clean up your family's diet?
Look at the ingredients: This is the best piece of advice that I have for parents looking to choose healthy items for their families. If all of the ingredients are real foods that you would cook with yourself (ie, olive oil, and not partially-hydrogenated oil), then you are on your way to eating clean.
Limit the amount of added sugar: This tip is nothing new, but still just as important. Added sugars in a child's diet have no nutritional benefit, and studies have shown a link to obesity. Outside of juice and soda, added sugars are often found in children's yogurts and cereals. Opt for versions sugar, and add sweetness with berries or bananas.
Hold the salt: Most Americans eat too much salt, and processed foods are a big culprit. If your family can't avoid prepackaged foods all together, a quick tip to limiting salt is to read the nutrition facts on the package, and choose foods where the amount of sodium is less than the amount of calories. At home, start by cutting the amount of salt added to your cooking in half, and add additional herbs for flavor.
Focus on whole fruits and vegetables: Full of the necessary vitamins for growth and a healthy immune system, fruits and veggies should be present at every meal and most snacks. If fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to get, frozen versions without sugar and salt are the best second choice. And remember to eat them yourself; children are also more inclined to eat their produce if they see their parents eating it.
A family that focuses on nutrition instead of calories can set the example that "health" is not about one meal or a number on the scale, it's a focus on the big picture and giving your body what it needs to do it's best throughout your life.
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