Childhood Obesity - 6 Steps to Raising Healthy Kids Written by Mila Sidman
Childhood obesity is on rise and has become an important topic amongst parents, politicians and many others. Our lifestyles have drastically changed. We don’t walk as much as we used to. We eat pre-packaged or fast foods instead of home cooked meals. And what exercise can compete with video games? These days kids would rather spend time on computer than go outside and kick a ball around or ride their bikes. And with all junk food advertisements aimed at children by media, us parents definitely have our jobs cut out for us. Times have definitely changed but that doesn’t mean we have to completely give up. It’s just a matter of putting some simple measures into place. Here are some easy tips to ensure your kids develop a life-long healthy lifestyle. 1. Limit your kids television, computer and video games time. This may not be easy at first, but be persistent. Suggest an activity they can do, or better yet go outside with them and join in. Children learn through example, so if you’re all set to go for a bike ride they may just want to join you. 2. Get your kids involved in family food shopping. Make a list of healthy foods everyone agrees on and point out health benefits to your kids. You’ll be surprised at how open to eating healthy your kids can be. You don’t have to drastically cut out cakes and cookies altogether, but instead let each child choose one item they can enjoy as a special treat. This teaches kids to learn about moderation and that , yes, they can have cookies or chocolates as treats not as regular food staples.
| | Kid Party Food Ideas - Without the Stress!Written by Mila Sidman
Another kid party coming up? You’ve probably planned and organized everything from party games to favors to who you’ll invite… but what about kid party food? Birthday party food doesn’t have to take hours to prepare or completely blow your budget. When it comes to kids and party food, variety and presentation are answer. Rather than cooking a few specialty dishes, aim for serving lots of small dishes of fun and kid-friendly finger foods. Try to serve mainly savory foods and only a few sweet treats. This will help avoid dreaded sugar highs. Here are a few time-tested party food tips. Presenting Kid Party Food - Make it fun, fun, fun! Honestly, it really doesn’t matter what you serve as long as you wow them with presentation. You want kids to see table, light up and rush to their seats. Okay… so how do you do that? 1. Plenty of color - Use colorful kid tableware, balloons, serving bowls, etc. 2. Plenty of variety - Serve lots of small bowls or plates containing a selection of different finger foods such as cut fruit, bread sticks, mini muffins, mini wraps, crackers, cheese, etc. 3. Serve Fun Foods - You can easily turn most normal foods into fun kid foods. Cut sandwiches with fun cookie cutter shapes to make them more interesting or roll them into pinwheels, cup up a selection of veggies and fruit and serve with a colorful dip. Also make all foods kid size. Cut everything from pizzas to hotdogs into small bite size pieces. This will make it easier to eat and be more fun.
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