Helpful Tip!

Parents:
When you discuss healthy eating with you're kids, don't focus on their weight! Instead, you should talk about how having a healthy lifestyle will positively impact them in other areas, such as their skin, strength, mood, growth and performance in school!

Banana Dog in a Bun

Need to make a quick lunch? Banana dogs in a bun is quick to fix and a kids favourite for anytime of the day!

Ingredients
- 1 Whole Wheat Hot Dog Bun
- Peanut Butter
- Jam
- 1 Whole Banana
- Raisins, Shredded Coconut, Chopped Nuts

Cooking
1. Spread one side of the hot dog bun with peanut butter and the other with jam.

2. Add the banana in the bun.

3. Let your child pick some toppings to add on.

Link:
http://recipes.kaboose.com/banana-dog-in-a-bun.html

Do's and Don'ts with Picky Eaters

Most kids have a few odd things that they absolutely won't eat but if your child is one who only eats macaroni or won't eat anything green, you've got a picky eater.

Picky eaters can sometimes be hard to deal with and it makes eating out a hassle. Here are a few tips to help get your kids expand their eating horizons.

1. Don't let them snack an hour before meal time to make sure they've got a big appetite for dinner. They might not actually be a picky eater, they might just not be hungry after all their snacking.

2. Don't make a big deal out of them not eating it or try to force them to. This might turn more of a battle of wits than a dislike of food.

3. Do serve new foods in small portions. Smaller portions are less intimidating and they'll be more likely give it a try. New foods serve well with old favourites too, it gives them a sense of comfort.

4. Do be a role model. If your child sees that you dislike something or that you won't eat certain things, this might develop into a taste of their own.

For more great tips on how to deal with picky eaters, take a look at the link below!

http://www.todayiatearainbow.com/picky-eaters/

Fruits are Fun

Getting kids to eat fruits can sometimes be tricky but presenting it in a fun way can always help. Fruit Kabobs are an easy way to make fruit fun and getting kids involved in making their own snacks. They can be used as a snack or a dessert and can be made ahead of time and kept wrapped in the fridge for later so kids can enjoy them anytime!

Fruit Kabobs

You will need:
- Kabob sticks (cut the pointy side to make it flat)
- Lots of different chopped up fruit
- Yogurt

How to:

1. Have all the fruit set up where your kids can choose which ones they want. The bigger variety of fruit, the more likely they'll be to try different ones and it'll make their kabobs more colourful. Lots of examples include bananas, apples, kiwi, plums, strawberries, melon, pineapple, oranges and grapes. Make sure the chunks are big enough so that the kids can easily poke the sticks through them, but not too big that it'll take more than a few bites to eat.

2. Pass out the sticks and let them pick which fruit they want.

3. When the sticks are all done, put some yogurt out for fruit dipping.

Chunks of cheese and cold meats are great add ons as well.

This is a great snack for when there's lots of kids like a party. With a bigger selection of fruit comes more smiles from the kids!!

Link:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,181,144180-244197,00.html

Catch Your Own Food

Kids tend to shy away from seafood and it's usually one of the things parent struggle to feed their kids. Fish is a great source of protein and certain fish contain healthy fats that are difficult to get from other food products. A great way to get kids to enjoy more seafood is too take them fishing.

Fishing is a good way to get your kids outdoors and an fun way for them to find out where food comes from. Plus if they catch their own food, they might be more inclined to give it a try. If your just starting out, some fishing organizations in local areas hold kids tournaments throughout the summer where they fill a lake with small fish. Your almost guaranteed to take some home!

Here are a few tips for fishing with kids:              

1. Keep it simple. Don't make anything too hard if your already an experience fisher

2. Go for the action spots. Kids get bored easily so catching a bunch of little fish is going to be more fun than one really large one.

3. Make sure you always tell them when their doing something right and explain to them when they're doing it wrong.

4 Keep the trip for the kids. If they get tired of fishing and start skipping rocks, let them have fun and come back to fishing when they're ready.

For more information about fishing as a family, or with your kids and tips on starting up, visit the links below.

http://www.takemefishing.org/fishing/family/fish-with-your-kids
http://phoenix.about.com/od/fishing/a/fishing.htm

A Cold Snack for a Hot Day

These Frozen Yogurt Pops are quick to make and can be just what your child needs after a long day of playing out in the sun. They're a healthier version of popsicles that can be made as a cold treat for a sports team or simply a sweet desert after a family BBQ.

Frozen Yogurt Pops

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
- 1 8-oz. container of your favourite flavour of yogurt

Utensils:
- Small paper cups
- Wooden possible sticks (available in craft stores)
- Plastic wrap

Directions:
1. Pour yogurt into the paper cups so that they fill almost to the top.
2. Stretch a small piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup.
3. Using the popsicle stick poke a hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the stick straight up in the center of the cup.
4. Put the cups in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen solid.
5. Remove the plastic wrap, peal the paper cup off and enjoy!

Tips:
You can use ice-pop holds instead of paper cups and popsicle sticks.

To switch it up, you can make 2 or three layers using different types of yogurt to have more colourful treats.

You can find the recipe, nutritional information and links to other recipes on the link below

http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/yogurt_pops.html#cat20229

Lunch Box Blues

Are your kids complaining about their lunches? Packed lunches aren't always kids favourite and making them healthy and enjoyable can be a challenge, especially when on a budget or short on time.

Kids will be much more excited about their lunches if they participate in its making. Listen to there ideas and let them have a say in what their eating, whether it's the main course or a choice between snacks. Bringing them to the store and letting them pick some fruits and vegetables they'd like to snack on will make lunches a meal they'll enjoy much more!

Textures and flavours of food vary by temperatures. Make sure cold packs and thermos are used when they are needed to keep lunches safe and your kids happy!

For more ideas on on some packed lunch ideas an how to spice up your kids lunch box, visit these links below!

http://raisinghealthykidstoday.com/lunch-box-ideas/#more-191

http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/622.htm

Growing your own food!

Getting your kids involved in the food growing process is a great, fun way of promoting healthy nutrition!  It's much likelier that your child will be excited about eating a veggie they helped grow than a store bought one.  Vegetable gardening is fun, educational, and a great way to get kids involved in healthy nutrition.

Don't have a whole lot of space in your yard for a garden? Most vegetables can grow great in a container!

Here is a link to a pdf file, which makes vegetable gardening in containers easy! It explains everything, from which containers to use, to how much light and water is needed!

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/e-545_vegetable_gardening_containers.pdf

Take the time to read this resource, and get your kids excited about homegrown vegetables!

Make Breakfast Fun!

Want to get your kids interested in a healthy breakfast? Why not try this Fruit Pizza that is sure to be a hit in your household!

Breakfast fruit pizza

Serves 1

Children will love this twist on a favourite food. Play it up!

Ingredients

• 1 small whole wheat pita (about 4 inch / 10 cm diameter)
• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) light spreadable cream cheese, plain or flavoured
• ¼ cup (50 mL) chopped fresh fruit (blueberries, bananas, cantaloupe, apples, grapes)

Directions

1. Toast pita on light setting.
2. Spread with cream cheese.
3. Top with fresh fruit. Cut in pieces and serve.

Nutritional information per serving

• Calories: 147
• Protein: 5.4 g
• Fat: 5 g
  • Saturates: 3 g
  • Dietary Cholesterol: 13 mg
• Carbohydrate: 22 g
  • Dietary Fibre: 5 g
• Sodium: 216 mg
• Potassium: 113 mg

Find this and other great kid friendly recipes on the heart and stroke website below!

http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3805907/k.456C/Recipes__Breakfast_fruit_pizza.htm

Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide

Canada's Food Guide is a resource everyone, especially parents, should have! It provides serving sizes for different food groups based on age and sex.  It also gives examples of what servings of certain food looks like, along with many other tips for living a healthy lifestyle!

The below link to Health Canada's website provides links to various versions of Canada's Food Guide; a pdf version, a HTML version, and the option to order a food guide:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/order-commander/index-eng.php

Facts parents should know!

Here are some important statistics provided by the Heart and Stroke Foundation:

•                Rates of obesity amongst children and youth aged 2 to 17 in Canada are increasing. In 1978/79, 3% of Canadian children and youth were obese. By 2004, 8% or an estimated 500,000 were obese.

•                An additional 18% of Canadian children and youth are overweight. Combined, one quarter (26%) of Canadian children and youth are either overweight or obese.

•                Weight gain during adolescence and young adult life may be one of the most important determinants of future development of heart disease and stroke. Eating a healthy diet from a young age and continuing throughout life are important to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Unhealthy eating during childhood may interfere with optimal growth and development and contribute to poor eating habits during adolescence and adulthood.

Between the ages of six and twelve, children are learning to make decisions and beginning to make more choices on their own. They are developing eating habits and attitudes they may carry with them for the rest of their lives. Peer pressure influences children and youth of all ages and is particularly strong in the early teen years.

Link:

http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/pp.aspx?c=pvI3IeNWJwE&b=4521153&printmode=1

Why?

This blog has been created by nutrition students at Acadia University, and is simply meant to be a convenient source of information for parents who want their kids to eat healthily.  It can be very hard to maintain a healthy diet for you and your kids when you are busy and work, and your children busy at school and extra curricular activities.  As the creators of this blog, we will do our best to give you tips, recipes etc that will make it easier for you family to be a healthy one!