Are your kids picky eaters?  Well, mine are.  That’s quite a challenge when your kids are small.  My children are 5 and 3, and both have learning disabilities, so for me, it’s very important to get them to eat properly.  Between busy schedules, therapies, active children, and fussy eating, getting my children to eat anything healthier than a multivitamin is QUITE a challenge.  So what is a parent to do?

Substitution-One thing I’ve done is NOT to worry so much.  Every day you read the dangers of sugar, or wheat, or dairy, or red meat.  It’s enough to make a parent go crazy. Unfortunately, time and budget do not really allow me to buy organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, etc.  I do the best I can with what I’ve got to work with.  For example, as much as possible, I use extra virgin olive oil for cooking rather than other kinds of oil.  I believe this is probably why my good cholesterol, or HDL, levels are very high.  I happen to also like the flavor that olive oil adds to my food. It is pricier, but we rarely fry foods anyway.

Fruits and Veggies, Any Way They Want-When Amelia was little, her therapist reminded me that sweet potatoes are a good source of iron. I was surprised, because I had given up eaten potatoes years ago.  My daughter loves mashed potatoes so I make them FRESH.  My kids also like potato salad, which I make fresh with potatoes, fresh green beans, tomatoes and onion, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  My little one like anything with a red sauce and since cooked tomatoes are healthier than fresh, I frequently give her tomato sauce and salsa.  My other daughter likes fresh vegetables uncooked, but only if I serve them in a fancy tray with dip, so snack time becomes a fun mini-party for me and the kids.

Healthier Stuff-Rather than eliminating things from their diet that they like, I’ve taken the road of buying healthier versions of the foods they like. My kids are very fond of chocolate chip cookies, and Kashi makes a version with whole grain products and no sugar.  They love peanut butter, and it’s a good source of protein, so I spend a little extra and make sure there is no sugar, additives or palm oil, just “made from peanuts”.  We are not seafood fans, but buying pasta with Omega-3 and made with whole grains eases my mind that they are getting this important nutrient as well.

Plenty of Liquids-I’ve noticed my kids are thirsty a lot and it’s hard to keep them in milk and juice all the time.   I’ve started giving them more water, or glasses full of ice (they love to munch on it), and that makes me feel good that they are getting their fill of liquids.  I keep lots of juicy fruits, like oranges, on hand as well.

It isn’t easy, but with a little creativity, patience and LOTS of label reading, meal time does not have to be the most difficult part of child rearing.  Making sure that kids think of meals as a time to socialize with their family and enjoy themselves can also go a long way to helping busy parents get their picky eaters to eat right.

Thanks Gina! We have so much to learn as parents. Follow @ginabad on Twitter and her blog at Mom-Blog. For more on the picky eater check out the post from a couple of weeks Are your kids picky eaters?

Our guest this week is a mother of three kids, a graduate of Health Education,  president and developer of the Super Healthy Kids, Healthy Habits Plate. A very busy individual indeed, please welcome Amy Roskelley!

Many parents are concerned about their kids eating behaviors.  Kids can be picky, stubborn, and can go for long periods of time surviving on mac and cheese. It can get even more frustrating when you find something healthy they like, only for them to reject it the next day.  So how do you make sure they are getting what they need without turning into the Grinch?  Here are a few ideas.

•           First, chill out.  If they are growing and have energy to sustain them for the demands of their little lives, than you probably are overly concerned.

•           Stop buying what you don’t want them to eat.  If you truly think your kid will starve if you stop buying hot dogs altogether, I promise you are wrong. I cut my 5 year old off cold turkey from hot dogs, and 1 year later, he is still asking for hot dogs.  But we don’t have any, so he eats something else.

•           Let them get hungry.  Food always tastes better, and they are more likely to try something if they are hungry.

•           For preschoolers, use the red light/ green light method.  Foods are all assigned red, yellow, or green.  Green light foods can be eaten anytime; yellow light foods, sometimes; and red light foods should be avoided.

•           Do not regulate the amount your child is eating.  You should be the one to decide WHAT they eat; they can decide HOW MUCH they eat.  Leave the “clean plate club” in the past where it belongs.

•           Be a role model.  If you eat good, healthy food, your child will more likely adopt similar habits. It’s been proven example is more effective than bribing when it comes to eating something.

•           Place a poster of the food guide pyramid into your pantry. Kids as little as 2, will look at our poster to decide what food they want to eat. Educating them about variety and good food choices gives them information rather than battling the “because I said so” model.

Fantastic tips! Amy has such a creative way to get the positive message out at her blog. The kids in her blog are Cereal Boy, 9 years old. Then The Flip-flopper, She’s 7 years old. Also there is ketchup boy….he is 4. Visit Super Healthy Kids for fun, healthy reading!

Three “simple” actions:

1-ZERO television- No TV time for the whole day. How often to you and your family watch television? In the evening instead of turning on the news, take some some time away from the tube. All that news garbage can wait! You might be surprised at how much better you sleep. What did people do before the TV was invented? Maybe draw some pictures, play classic board games, color or go for a walk? See How TV Affects Your Child.

2-Read a book- Strengthen that mind! “When the mind is trained and channeled, it begins to pay attention more thoroughly. ” More at The Benefits of Reading .

3-Compliment five people- Do you believe in Karma? Or at least what goes around comes around? Regardless, for the sole reason of doing a good deed, a compliment towards another feels good. Doesn’t it feel good to help others feel good? A compliment can be a good start.

“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded! ”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maybe a couple of actions today will help us continue down a healthier path during our journey?

Are you up for the challenge? I know in our home we have the TV on before bedtime…this will be a huge challenge for us! I definitely need to compliment my wife and kids more…I think it but do not always express it. Maybe this is no challenge for you?

A single step at a time is all that’s possible – even when taken on the run.

Do you have an active child at home or in school, who actively jumps, runs, shouts, climbs all over the place throughout the day? His energy level doesn’t stop, he just keeps going! Many will relate this type of child to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Always have a specialist/experts diagnose his/her condition and confirm before coming to any conclusions! The active child is also usually categorized under “problem” child by adults. Many of us would be “scratching” our heads on how to deal with so called “problem” child because we don’t want him to hurt himself or hurt others. How can we deal with this type of child?

The active child simply needs extra support and understanding from people around him. We can’t stop him from being active as this is his sensitive period in his physical development of life. He is exploring his large and fine motor movements as well as his body coordination. Therefore, he will experiment lots of different movements to satisfy his own curiousity. Once he is happy and satisfied with his own findings, he will stop on his own will. He becomes calmer and more ready to start exploring other areas in life which leads him move forward to another level of development.

The first reaction for most of us adults will usually be to want their active child to calm down, to keep their hands to themselves or to stop doing what they are doing. Instead of going against his flow, why not work along with it? A mother came to me explaining to me that her son is too active and aggressive at home and in school. So she tried all ways to calm him down. However, it is not effective in long run as the boy was not given the opportunities to let go of his excess energy. He felt isolated and unhappy as his real needs were not understood by adults. He might become more tense or restless as he has to suppress his natural tendencies.Lets embrace his energy’s level and prepare a safe environment for him to move around and explore! Interact in some indoor and outdoor activities with him. Often adults these days will let their child play video games or watch TV shows in order to have some peaceful quiet time. Why not become more involved and more creative so that our children will reap the benefits.

Some tips to try:

· Play some music and dance with your child

· Do some stretching exercises with your child

· Do yoga or aerobic together with your child

· Use a physio ball to have some simple workouts with your child

· Take him/her out to a gym class or playground

· Goto a park – jogging, cycling, football, badminton, chasing one another etc.

· Make a kite together and fly it during windy day

Remember when we are able to provide an outlet for the active child to release his/her excess energy and emotional stress, we are also developing a happy child. Their emotional tank is now full and filled with love because they are understood and emotionally secured. The physical play that we work together with our child also bring us closer to them and they hopefully will be more open with us. Whenever I do some stretching with my children in school, we will have a good laugh as we see funny styles and movements. Children feel relaxed and have a great time!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share with all of you!