Live Healthy with Mindy Mosser

We always "thought" we ate healthy before.  Our kids didn't get candy all the time or colored sugary drinks, and they weren't allowed to have sugary cereals or drink pop (even the caffeine-free kind).  Macaroni and cheese for lunch only happened 2 or 3 times a week, They weren't allowed to eat hot-dogs or bologna, and we always had a good sauce with our pasta dinners.  "You have to eat all your dinner to get dessert."  Fast food was only about once a week when we were in a real hurry, and we had snacks like the cheesy little fish crackers, pretzels, raisins, cheese, grapes, bananas, crackers, crackers, and more crackers!  At least it's not "junk-food" right?  Wrong!!

When I learned through the Healthy Edge course what I was giving my kids by allowing them to eat foods filled with artificial food colorings, partially-hydrogenated oils, and enriched flours, I made some tough decisions to clean out my environment and replace the dangerous foods of before with healthier more nutritious ones.  Sure Kennedy, (who was 4 years old at the time) had a tantrum or two but I knew that I was more concerned about her health than her happiness in that area of life.  Guess what, she LOVES fresh veggies!!  She LOVES fresh fruits!!  She LOVES  raw nuts!!  She now brings home the sweet snacks from school and asks first before she eats them, and when I say no (which is most of the time) she's ok with that and she'll have an apple with peanut butter.  My 3 year old son Jackson has been eating the healthier more nutritious foods since he's been on solid foods and I am so thankful every day that I made that decision 3 years ago to make some changes in our home around what we as a family were choosing to eat.

We all love our kids.  Most of us don't feed our kids foods when we know they're really bad for them.  But I have realized that often times parents don't know that what they're giving their kids is that bad.  I know it is hard to raise kids in a healthy home with fast food and quick convenience foods everywhere we turn, but it can be done, and you'll be so happy that you made the choice. 

Sometimes you have to start small.  I started by saying that we were only having sweet desserts on the weekends.  After a while when given the choice, my kids will usually choose fruit salad rather than something sweet.  Don't get me wrong, they still love cup cakes and doughnuts.  I can't make them not enjoy sweets but I can make sure that they only indulge in these things occasionally.  But if we do have brownies, I make them from scratch.  Crazy I know, but you can make home-made brownies and use healthier flour and less sugar!!  I play around with recipes and I use whole wheat pastry flour mixed with some soy flour and even some garbanzo bean flour!  I use honey and agave nectar instead of sugar, and I bake with coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil.  Of course that didn't all happen at once, but I learned so much from the Healthy Edge course, it really got me on the right track.

Some of the improvements I've seen in my children as a result of this healthier lifestyle include much less hyper-activity, no more constipation or digestive issues, sustained energy and eagerness to try new foods, just to name a few biggies!! 

We Used to Have:

• crackers
• pretzels
• fruit cups
• juice boxes
• chocolate milk
• flavored water
• flavored yogurt
• on the go packets of yogurt
• mac and cheese
• regular pasta
• mashed potatoes
• fast food
• lunchables
• veggies from a can
• rice side dishes in a box
• biscuits & gravy
• pancakes from a box
• pre-packaged granola bars
• casseroles made with cream of something soup
• ice cream

Now we Have:

• raw nuts
• raw veggies
• fresh fruit
• organic milk or almond milk
• water
• water with sliced cucumbers or oranges
• plain greek yogurt with fresh fruit
• whole wheat tortillas with low-fat cheese and fresh salsa to dip it in
• fresh steamed veggies
• grilled fish and chicken
• low-fat cottage cheese mixed with black beans and tomatoes
• quick 10 minute home-made soups
• ants on a log
• banana oatmeal pancakes
• home-made granola and granola bars
• fresh fruit home-made popsicles
• Larabars
• USANA snack bars