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Let your children develop a varied palate by providing them different kinds of foods. They will gain more nutrition and consume less sugar to avoid gaining excess weight or developing tooth decay.
Children do not like to eat vitamins, so give them vitamin- and mineral-rich foods. For example, make sandwiches on whole-grain bread. Skip sugary peanut butter and jams and use low-sugar versions. Avoid luncheon meats and use chicken or albacore white tuna for sandwiches that do not have nitrates or heavy preservatives and salt. Include fresh fruits, dried roasted nuts such as sunflower seeds or almonds and sugar-free, whole-grain crackers.
Pack flavored bottled water, low-fat milk and yogurt and skip juice boxes that often have too much sugar. -
Busy people can become fat people if they eat only fast foods. Do not skip meals; this sets you up to consume more food later in a hunger-induced binge. Read nutrition food labels to identify total salt, saturated fat and sugars---and limit these components to drop weight.
Preparing healthy food is easier than you think. Bring leftovers from dinner and add a green salad or fruit salad and a box of raisins or low-salt, sugar-free trail mix to the office. This provides more fiber and reduces the fat content found in fast food French fries and hamburgers.
If you must get fast food, select sandwiches made without mayonnaise. Get mustard, add pickle relish or drizzle low-calorie salad dressing instead. Remove the top slice of bread to reduce calories.
Snack on grapes, apples, plums or peaches instead of the high-fat, empty calories of candy bar. That means less extra fat on the belly (a cancer risk) and a vanity-saver. -
Read nutrition labels on all processed foods and avoid high-salt, high-sugar or over processed foods. Cook pasta and add simple marinara and choose whole wheat garlic bread with olive oil over the high-fat, high-salt pizza.
Avoiding saturated fat from whole milk cheese found in pizza and salt will reduce risk for cardiac disease and high blood pressure.
Eat whole foods to get more vitamins, minerals and fiber to reduce constipation. For example, eat vegetables at lunch and dinner---a green salad or broiled or steamed mixed vegetables.
Snack on low-fat, high-protein foods like yogurt and fresh fruits, roasted nuts with hot air-popped popcorn or low-fat cheese sandwiches. These are nutrient-dense choices, not empty calories as found in candy.
