Get Your Family Hooked on Healthy Foods – A Food Makeover for Your Dinner Table!

Why Processed Foods Are Not Good For You:  Despite the benefit to the manufacturer's bottom line, processed foods offer less nutritional value and have

ingredients that have been found to wreak havoc on our bodies, especially for children.  Most processed foods contain ingredients that have been highly refined, taking out most of the essential nutrients.  Manufacturers will often "enrich" the foods adding back in synthetic nutrients and vitamins but they are not as healthy as the whole food.  They also contain extra sugar, salt and other additives.

Processed foods often contain these "red flag" ingredients which parents should avoid and here's why:

            High Fructose Corn Syrup - High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made through a chemical    process that converts cornstarch (corn) into HFCS.  Studies have shown that HFCS increases blood fats which causes a rise in LDL (bad) cholesterol.  

            Hydrogenated Oils - Consuming products with hydrogenated oil has been found to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, decrease immunity, impair brain function and damage brain cells, interfere with nerve cell function and increase the chance of Type 2 Diabetes to name a few. 

            Chemical Additives & Colorings - Additives, like aspartame, MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable    protein and synthetic food dyes, are used to enhance flavor and color in foods.  These additives are called "excitotoxins" because they alter the chemistry of the brain.  A child's growing brain is four times more sensitive to excitotoxins. 

Why Whole Foods Are Best:  We all know that it is important for children (and parents too) to eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats (e.g. avocados, flax seed oil, raw nuts).  But what you may not know are some of the reasons why nutritionists prefer whole foods over processed.

Whole foods in their natural state provide essential nutrients and vitamins that your body needs.  As a whole food, all the nutrients and vitamins work together in synergy to provide optimal nutrition.  Simply stated, nature has created the perfect foods for us in the form of "whole foods."  Additionally, whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain more fiber which helps to keep our bodies regular and detoxify the body. 

Get “Hooked” on Healthy Foods!  You can get your family on the right track and begin eating healthy today!  Here are two simple ways to jumpstart the process.

1) Start with a Snack Food Make-Over.  You can begin to make changes toward healthier eating by taking a closer look at the type of snack foods that you are purchasing from the grocery store. 

            -Become a label reader and check for red flag ingredients.  Avoid products with HFCS, hydrogenated oils, aspartame and other artificial sweetners, MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and synthetic food dyes.  There are many brands of snack food on the market today that do not contain these ingredients.

            -Choose whole grain snacks as opposed to refined wheat products.

            -Incorporate a fruit or vegetable into every snack along with a protein such as cheese, yogurt or nuts.

2)  Get Cooking!  Minimize pre-packaged/processed foods and start to prepare and cook REAL whole foods right in your own kitchen.  Not only will your children benefit from a healthy home cooked meal and homemade snack foods, but you can also get your kids involved in helping to cook and prepare meals.  Studies have shown that children who help in meal planning, shopping and cooking are more likely to be better eaters.  Plus homemade foods are healthier and can also save you money.  It's worth the investment of your time. 

In order to get your children "hooked" on healthy foods it is important to create an environment at home where children can learn about healthy foods.  Teaching them what foods to avoid and showing them how to prepare and cook nutritious foods at home will be the greatest gift you can give your child.

Nicole Koroghlian, MSW is a Certified Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Coach and the Founder of Wholesome Kids Cook.  Learn more healthy eating tips from this mom of two at www.wholesomekidscook.com.