Try, try again.

Yes, I know you hear/read this all the time, but do TRY, TRY AGAIN. Especially when introducing children to new foods or even getting adults to expand/improve their eating habits.

While on vacation this summer, I carried a fruit, nuts and water with us to the beach each day. We were camping there, but it kept us from running back and forth to the tent. Anyway, all the fruit was gone and my son was still hungry. I asked like I always do "how about some nuts?" No is always his automatic reply. I reminded him that Nutella is made partially from hazelnuts and that I'm nut sure which one is a hazelnut, but recommended we have a taste test. He was hungry, so he did. Turns out his favorite of all the nuts was a walnut! They aren't my favorites, so I hardly ever buy them except in mixed nuts or for recipes. So now, when I ask if he wants nuts he answers "yes, but just the walnuts." Win. Win.

My point is - just like adults, sometimes kids shun foods because they know there's something "better" if they keep saying no. Perhaps they haven't tried the food in a while and need a little reminder. Or their best friend at school said "I don't like (insert food) because it is dumb/stinky/for babies." Or maybe they're not even really hungry but bored or thirsty instead. So TRY, TRY AGAIN.


Action Item: You guessed it. Put those Brussels Sprouts back on the table. Pull out the hummus again. Or re-try any food that wasn't a hit the first time. Serve it with something your child really likes "to prime the pump" as my husband says. Our sons is more likely to try something new if there's other food on his plate that he enjoys eating.

Your thoughts?: How do you work news foods into your family members' diets?

For Further Reading: Six Food Mistakes Parents Make, How to Get Kids to Try New Foods,
Encouraging Children to Try New Foods, Kids and Food: 10 Tips for Parents

In Your Face

We all know that it helps to avoid unhealthy snacks by keeping them out of the house. I read that your house should be a safe zone (especially for kids) because we are all faced with so many temptations everywhere we go. So true! That being said; most of us need a snack a some point. Keep yummy, healthy, natural snacks out on the counter and in places where you can see them!

This is what works for us. Fruit is on the counter in a convenient place and ready-to-eat grapes or sliced carrots in the refrigerator. Nuts are in glass jars easily accessible, and they are always in sight (ours are behind clear glass cabinet doors).

You can keep your snacks in your face throughout the day as well, by never leaving the house without some healthy snacks in your purse, backpack or pocket! That way you resist the temptation to eat something you don't need. I never leave the house without fruit or pretzels or nuts or a granola bar. Dried fruit (without added ingredients) is a good choice so you don't find a solid black mushy banana in your backpack like I have been known to do!

Action item: Get unhealthy, empty-calorie snacks out of your house and off your shopping list. Your body will thank you!

For further reading: Need ideas for healthier snacks. This is not a perfect snacking list, but offers good ideas if you're stuck in a rut. Some of the items - such as granola bars - can be very unhealthy. As always, read labels, choose foods with ingredients that will fuel your body, and make the best decision out of the choices at hand.

Superfoods

You've probably run across many lists about "superfoods" but what are they? The word is actually a "marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits" says Wikipedia. Many of the foods though are actually quite super in terms of their high content of antioxidants, vitamins, or other nutrients. And notice that all "superfoods" are natural, not processed, packaged, in a pill or covered in chocolate. Though... dark chocolate might be ok!

Items often on these lists are: kale, walnuts, sweet potatoes, blueberries, yogurt, salmon. If you fill your stomach with these types of foods, there will be no room left - and no need - for foods that don't fuel your body!

Action Item: Start with one super-nutrient-packed food that you are not eating or haven't tried yet and add it to a meal, as a snack or in a smoothie.

For further reading: Eight Superfoods That are Easy to Eat and Superfoods Everyone Needs