Part of National Nutrition Month 2013
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| Picture by Brittni Woolwine |
Most parents want nothing more than happy, healthy kids. Sad to say, it is not always easy to make children happy with foods that are good for them. You likely have heard of the increased rate of obesity in recent years. Obesity is rising in both kids and adults (USDA.gov.) High calorie diets and low levels of activity have brought us to this point. It’s time to fight back!
A good way to start to deal with this problem is to identify the foods in the diet that are high in calories and low in nutrients. Many processed foods, things that we may feed to our kids as snacks, may fall into that category of foods. So how do we get our kids to start eating healthy and put away the junk? The answer is to make FUN, yummy snacks that are also good for them!
Raw fruits and vegetables are often off-putting to kids but with a small amount of effort these same raw foods can become an adventure or a work of art! Colorful fruits and veggies can be arranged on a plate into a playful image that kids will want more of. This is a great project for parents and kids to do together - and yes, you’re allowed to play with your food this time! Check out the recipe below for inspiration. This March, for National Nutrition Month, let’s get creative in the kitchen!
Happy
Flower
Prep Time: 2 minutes Ingredients:
- 1 Slice of Tomato
- 1 Black Olive Cut Into 2 Slices
- 6 Kernels of Corn
- 9 Leaves of Spinach
- 2 Slices of Cucumber
- 1 Baby Carrot
- 1 Slice of Celery
How To: Wash, slice, & assemble veggies as shown in the picture above!
After making the Happy Flower test the limits of you and your kids creativity by trying to make other fun characters with fruits and veggies. Make it a game, have fun, enjoy snack time!
References
Childhood Obesity Causes and Prevention. (1998). usda.gov. Retrieved from www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/OtherProjects/SymposiumChildhoodObesity.pdf
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