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Healthy Eating

Smoothies can be an easy and fun way to incorporate various foods into your child’s diet. Understanding the potential benefits of smoothies, how to prepare them, and when and how to incorporate them can make an enjoyable and healthy option for the whole family!      Benefits of Smoothies There are several reasons you may choose to incorporate smoothies into their child’s daily or weekly routine. A few nutritional benefits to smoothies can include: Increased variety of fruits and vegetables: Sometimes children will accept a wider variety of fruits and vegetables in a blended form more than they will in the whole food form. It is still important to continue to expose your child to the whole food form on a consistent basis even if they are consuming the fruit/vegetable in the smoothie. Boost of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants: Smoothies often combine several fruits and vegetables in one recipe giving a […]

As the fall and winter seasons are upon us, so are the celebrations and comfort food that follows. How can we add to our favorite comfort foods for a fun and balanced holiday season? Check out these helpful tips on how to get the most out of your favorite dishes. Include proteins into your favorite dishes. Try adding a protein source like pulled chicken or ground turkey to macaroni and cheese for added satisfaction and strong muscles. In substitution of sour cream, try Greek yogurt for added protein and calcium. Hidden veggies can keep our favorite foods enjoyable AND provide the micronutrients our bodies need to be strong. Try these recipes for your next holiday meal: Mix pureed cauliflower into mashed potatoes for a light and creamy side dish. Add shredded zucchini to a meatloaf mixture for a moist, flavorful slice. Incorporate whole grains into your favorite treats. Here are […]

Summertime – sometimes synonymous with camp, vacations, sleeping in, relaxing outside in the sun, spending time with friends and family, and having a break from school. During these months, sticking to a meal schedule can be difficult when a child’s day-to-day schedule may be changing. It may be a challenge to keep kids on a schedule and ensure they are fueling their bodies for all the summer activities they are interested in. Here are some tips and tricks that will keep your summer meals on schedule! Plan Ahead Every week or every other week sit down with the members of your household and brainstorm some meals for the coming weeks. This will get kids involved in meal choices and encourage trying new foods. Plus, organizing ahead of time will take some of the stress away from the person responsible for planning, shopping, and preparing food. Meal planning options: Keep cut […]

Who recalls the joy and excitement of their baby gobbling up all sorts of messy foods? One of my favorite photos of my son is him at 7 months old with a yogurt beard. As parents and caregivers we often work so diligently in those early introductions of solids — whether it’s spoon fed purees or baby led weaning. But something tends to shift in those toddler years. Our little ones have more awareness of hunger and satisfaction cues and their preferences for flavors emerge. We often see children start refusing those previously accepted foods and showing a liking for specific foods. It can be daunting not to comment on our child’s negative responses to food or trying to persuade them to “just take a bite.” Listed below are some tips to help you navigate these picky eating behaviors. Understand Hierarchy of Feeding Ellyn Satter, a dietitian who is recognized […]

A walk down the yogurt aisle can be overwhelming to say the least.  There is Greek, French-style, Icelandic, drinkable, squeezable, organic, fruit on the bottom, whipped, non-GMO, and dairy free. Supermarkets may have up to 500 different varieties of yogurt on the shelves. So which is the best yogurt for kids?  What is yogurt? According to the FDA, yogurt is defined as a fermented dairy product.  It is derived from the fermentation of milk by two species of bacterial cultures, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.  Other cultures such as Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus casei, or different species of bifidobacteria may be added for taste, texture, or for their probiotic properties.  There is no FDA standard for plant-based yogurts, which may be fermented using S thermophilus and L bulgaricus.1  Live cultures are living organisms which change milk into yogurt during fermentation. Some yogurts are heat-treated after fermentation and most, if not all, of the […]

Melanie Franklin, PhD, Psychology Fellow, contributed to this blog post. It’s well recognized that childhood eating habits have a lasting impact on health, longevity, and disease prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that obesity affects approximately 42% of adults living in America, and obesity-related conditions (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer) are some of the leading causes of preventable death. Obesity affects nearly 20% of children and adolescents (13.7 million), which greatly increases the chances that obesity will carry forward into adulthood. While encouraging healthy food choices is important for preventing obesity and its related conditions, parents should be mindful of how they discuss diet and weight with and around their children. Encouraging kids to diet can have a lasting impact into adulthood, including: Likewise, parental focus on weight, including their own weight, has been associated with obesity and eating disorders in […]