Healthy Eating, Happy Kids
Author: Jackie Plant and Fraya Berg
User Ratings: 
Savvy Shopping
Your family's diet needs an overhaul. Come on, think about it: You probably buy
the same stuff at the grocery store every week and cook the same meals without really
focusing on how good they are for your kids. That's why we teamed up with the Culinary
Institute of America to create this guide. It's filled with simple, real-world tricks
that can help you shop smarter (note to self: read labels!) and cut the fat and
sugar from everything you cook.
10 Products We Love
- Success Whole-Grain Brown Rice: Cooks quickly and has a healthy
dose of fiber
- Cheerios: Low in sugar and a good source of fiber
-
Annie's Shells & White Cheddar: No artificial preservatives
-
Smucker's Low-Sugar Strawberry Preserves: 50 percent less sugar
-
Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt: Great for sauces and marinades
-
Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter: No trans fats, no added sugar
-
Barilla Plus Pasta: With protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids
-
Sarah Lee Hearty and Delicious 100% Whole Wheat Bread: 3 grams
of fiber and 22 grams of whole grain per slice
- Brummel and Brown Original
Spread: Made with yogurt; half the fat and calories of butter
-
Prego Marinara Pasta Sauce: No high-fructose corn syrup or sugar
Oils and Grains
Oil Change
Cutting back on butter and oil in your recipes is a smart move, but we don't want
you to think that all fat is bad. "Children need fat for energy, brain development,
and healthy growth," says nutritionist Marjorie Livingston, RD, of the Culinary
Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York. The key is to buy healthy mono- and
polyunsaturated oils, which can help lower bad cholesterol, and to use saturated
fats such as butter sparingly.
- Olive oil: The gold standard -- it's high in monounsaturated fat
and has a deliciously rich flavor.
- Canola oil: Great for frying,
it has a lot of the same properties as olive oil. Buy cold-pressed, which is less
processed.
- Safflower oil: Light in flavor; multipurpose for cooking and baking.
- Sunflower oil: Good source of vitamin E.
- Soybean oil: Good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which aid brain
development.
Great Grains
Not all grains are created equal. When you buy breads, cereals, and boxed rice mixes,
look for products that say "whole grain" on the package, and check out the fiber
count on the nutrition label: 2 grams or more per serving is good. Even better,
buy whole grains in bulk and cook them from scratch. It's easy!
- Quinoa: This grain (pronounced "keen-wa") is loaded with protein,
cooks in 15 minutes, and has a rich nutty flavor.
- Barley: Full of heart-healthy fiber that may lower cholesterol.
We love it in soups and stews.
- Brown rice: Filling, nutty, and delicious; cook it like white rice,
but give it twice as long, about 40 minutes.
- Spelt: Use 2 cups of boiling water for each cup of spelt; cook
for 10 minutes, then let sit for 15 more. Mix in vegetables and serve as a side
dish.
- Bulgur wheat: Try a package of easy-to-make tabouli.
- Kasha: Cook this nutty grain just like rice; makes a nice side
dish with sauteed vegetables.
Main Course
Healthy Cooking
Preparing nutritious meals isn't hard if you know a few tricks. Try these easy ways
to cut the fat and sugar and boost the good-for-you factor of everything you cook.
- Don't just dump dressing all over your salad -- it's too easy to overdo it. Measure
out a sensible 2-tablespoon serving, and you'll save around 7 grams of fat with
creamy dressings and 4 fat grams with Italian.
- Try blue agave nectar in place
of sugar in hot cereal, tea, and coffee: It's a healthier sweetener.
- Replace half the oil in a cake or muffin recipe with applesauce.
- Add 1/2 cup extra of each vegetable when you make soup or stew to up the nutrient
power.
- Cut the butter by flavoring fish, chicken, and cooked vegetables with herbs and
citrus juices.
- Fresh is always best, but your second veggie choice should be frozen, not canned.
The frozen kind have more nutrients (and canned have too much sodium).
- Don't panfry vegetables; roast them in the oven with a sprinkling of olive oil.
- Reduce the amount of sugar called for in a brownie or cookie recipe by 2 tablespoons.
Next time you bake it, try cutting a little more.
- Thicken gravy and sauces with cornstarch, not flour and butter.
- Use vegetable cooking spray, not butter, to grease cookie sheets, sauté pans, and
muffin tins.
Green Day
Everyone in your family should be getting three to five vegetable servings daily,
according to the Centers for Disease Control. Make it a game by letting your child
pick out a new vegetable at the grocery store each week. Here are our favorites,
with prep ideas to get started.
- Fennel: Slice it super thin and top with lemon dressing.
- Globe artichokes: Trim tops and cook, covered, in 1 1/2 inches
of boiling salted water, about 40 minutes.
- Butternut squash: Peel and cube, then toss in olive oil, salt,
and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Broccoflower:
Steam just like broccoli or cauliflower.
- Brussels sprouts: Trim and steam for 15 minutes, or slice and saute
in olive oil and a bit of butter for 8 minutes.
- Asparagus: Trim tough bottoms and cook in boiling water for 5 to
7 minutes.
- Beets: Trim tops, wash, wrap in foil, and roast at 350 degrees
for an hour. Remove skin and serve in slices or cubes.
- Avocado: Peel, slice, and top with a squeeze of lime juice and
a sprinkle of salt.
Leanest Meat and Poultry Picks
Our favorite cuts contain less than 8 fat grams per 4-ounce serving.
- Skinless chicken breast (1g)
- Turkey cutlets (1g)
- Pork tenderloin (4g)
- Beef top round (5g)
- Extra-lean ground beef (6g)
- Sirloin tip (7g)
Dessert? Definitely!
You don't have to deprive your kids of a sweet treat after dinner. Just give them
one of these more nutritious choices.
- Frozen-fruit bars
- Angel-food cake
- Frozen yogurt
- Low-fat
pudding
- Reduced-fat ice cream
- Sorbet
Sneaky Substitutions
No one will even notice the flavor difference when you use these less-fatty products
in recipes.
Instead of: whole milk
Use: 1% milk
Good for: oatmeal, mac and cheese, chocolate pudding
Instead of: heavy cream
Use: evaporated milk
Good for: fat-free cream-based soup, creamy pasta sauce
Instead of: sour cream
Use: strained nonfat plain yogurt
Good for: baked potatoes, tacos, dips
Instead of: full-fat cheese
Use: reduced-fat cheese
Good for: sandwiches, casseroles, pizza
Copyright 2007. Reprinted with permission from the January 2007 issue of Parents
magazine.