Everyone wants the best for their children. That goes without saying. And while we all also know there are worse things you can do to your kids than sending them off to school with Lunchables, there aren't many. So we get up early and pack what we hope is a healthy lunch. Parents find it comforting that they’re sending their precious cargo off to school with home-packed meals, but there can be some hidden evil in that lunch.
Here are three of the biggest mistakes we make when feeding our kids during the school year, and ways we can prevent them.
1. No Skipping
One of the biggest mistakes that we make (or our children make) starts before school. Skipping breakfast. This is a no-no for sure. Not eating breakfast reduces learning and decreases ability to focus and pay attention. In addition, it can be a contributor to obesity. When you skip breakfast, you may get overly hungry later and this can lead to poor food choices, eating too much and eating too fast.
So, give your kids a healthy breakfast each morning (and take this as an opportunity for you to have one -- because you need it, too). Start the day off well with oatmeal, a piece of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, scrambled eggs or egg whites. Even a healthy, protein filled smoothie works great for fueling the day.
2. Lukewarm Lunches?
Unsafe home-packed lunches can be a major problem. Bacteria are evil little buggers, and when our cold food isn’t kept cold enough and our hot food not kept hot enough, they have a perfect environment in which to multiply. Perhaps that stomachache or intestinal upset little Johnny came home with wasn’t a bug he caught from a classmate; it may have been his lunch! Hot foods need to be kept at or above 140 degrees, and cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees.
A recent study from the University of Texas in Austin, which was published in the Journal of Pediatrics, found that over 90% of pre-schoolers’ home packed lunches were not at a safe temperature for eating once lunchtime arrived. Be sure to pack several ice packs in your child’s lunch box, and use insulated lunch boxes to maximize staying temperatures. Freeze liquids (and even yogurt) the night before, then in the morning place them in the lunch box. Avoid using lunch foods that spoil easily, such as egg salad and things mixed with mayonnaise. There are even lunch boxes that can be placed directly into the freezer the night before use.
3. Attack of the Snack Attacks
Careful with the after school snacks! Now, don’t get me wrong, snacks are good for us, and I encourage several small snacks throughout the day. The problem isn’t the snacks; it’s what a child may choose for a snack (especially if mom or dad isn’t around).
Many people store convenient snack packages in their pantry or cupboards, such as chips, cookies and the like. If they’re around, guaranteed the kids will snack on them. Instead, choose to have fresh and healthy snacks easily available. Good examples are, dried fruit, fresh fruit, trail mix, low-fat cheese and whole grain crackers, yogurt, cut up veggies, and hummus. Also, many kids will drink their calorie allotment for the day with out realizing it, so don’t have sodas, punch and other high calorie drinks around.
A healthy treat such as my Very Berry Smoothie from my latest cookbook Flavor First makes an ideal after school snack. Get the recipe here.
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One of the biggest mistakes we make when trying to lose weight is skipping meals. Skipping does not promote weight loss; it actually promotes weight gain. If you wait too long to eat, when you finally do eat you eat too much too fast and you chose the wrong things. Not only should you not skip meals, you SHOULD eat in between meals as well. So, now you are thinking, "OK, Cheryl, you are telling me to lose weight I should eat MORE, not less?" Well, exactly -- though not larger amounts, just more often.
Snacking is integral to a healthy diet. So, what do we mean when we say that? It does not mean to rip into a bag of chips every time you get the urge. It does mean to keep lots of healthy snacks available, so when you open the refrigerator you have what you need to make the right choices.
Last week during a live chat we did on Twitter (using the hashtag #AskCheryl) while The Biggest Loser was on, several people wondered about healthy high-protein snacks. These chats have been valuable in showing me the types of information that you are looking for and I hope that you'll join us on Twitter again this Tuesday during The Biggest Loser.
I'm happy to see so many people asking for healthy snacks; snacking, in general, is underrated as a weight-loss tool.
When we are trying to lose weight, the temptation is to eat less, but, in fact, the smart strategy is to eat more -- well, more often, actually. Eating small snacks at regular intervals prevents you from becoming famished at any point during the day. It's when we are "starving" that we are most likely to reach for unhealthy foods and overeat.
The same goes for when we come in from a workout. The temptation is to raid the fridge or cabinets. Snacking at intervals before (and even during) exercise prevents this. Eating regular, small portions keeps your blood sugar stable and helps your body to recognize hunger cues. And of course, no matter how often or infrequently you eat, the name of the game is making the right choices. I discuss this issue in more detail in my upcoming book, Flavor First, which is also chock full of prepare-ahead snacks and appetizers that you can make at home.
Below are six quick and healthy high-protein snacks that will keep you on the right track. Each has near a 150 calories and provides more than 10 grams of protein.
Good Eggs: "Deviled Eggs" -- 3 hard boiled egg halves, whites only, each half filled with 1 tablespoon hummus (140 calories, 10 grams protein)
Green Gobbling: 2/3 cup edamame in the shell (158 calories, 13 grams protein)
String Theory: 1 low-fat mozzarella cheese stick and 1 large fresh orange (140 calories, 10 grams protein)
Rye Society: 2 Wasa Rye Crackers and 2-1/2 ounces lox (smoked salmon) (150 calories, 14 grams protein)
Gobble, Gobble: Half a turkey sandwich 1 slice whole grain bread with 1 ounce turkey, 1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and 2 teaspoons mustard (150 calories, 14 grams protein)
Greece-y Spoon: 2/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt plus 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 tablespoon almonds (150 calories, 15 grams protein)
On Super Bowl Sunday -- chicken wings, nachos, chili -- the calories can add up quickly. This year, you can still enjoy tasty snacks while watching the game -- without breaking the bank on your calorie budget (but, there’s no self-denial here).
My favorite choice for such occasions is a scrumptious spread of dips -- creamy, chunky, spicy, tangy – the stuff everyone loves. Hot or cold, spooned or dipped -- the possibilities are endless. As a cook, it's a slam dunk because there's nothing easier to prepare for impromptu get-togethers. But my favorite part is that they can be made well ahead of time so I can enjoy my parties with my guests.
No, you won't find me stirring up a zippy sour-cream based French onion dip or melting handfuls of gooey cheddar over crispy fried chips -- not in my kitchen. I am still a nutritionist, afterall. There's no doubt that high fat ingredients add flavor and texture to just about anything. But as a chef, I've learned how to make recipes sing without a boatload of fat grams.
Instead of loading on goop, let nature do all the work. Instead of focusing on a rich sour cream or cheese base for a dip, I use vegetables or beans as my primary ingredient. A rich, unctuous puree of eggplant or garbanzo beans is a scrumptious place to start. A spoonful of healthy fat such as olive oil or tahini is all that’s needed to add layers of texture and flavor to just the right mélange of spices and seasonings.
The other thing I love about dipping is that it’s a great way to kick up your daily vegetable intake. A colorful array of crisp dippers can include crunchy sticks of bell pepper, fennel, jicama or celery and baby carrots. Asparagus spears work well too but should be blanched first to soften them slightly.
And then you have the “other” dippers known as chips. When I first started cooking, there were no products such as fat free chips on the market. I made my own by cutting corn tortillas or whole grain pita bread into eights by triangles. I gave them a mist of olive oil and baked them slowly until they were crisp and lightly browned.
This Super Bowl Sunday, try one or both of these Super Swaps. The next day, let me know how you did and we can Monday Morning Quarterback the results.
Many people think snacks are the first thing to cut out, when trying to lose weight. They're actually a very important part of a successful weight loss plan. Snacks between meals help to minimize hunger at mealtime so you won't overeat. In conjunction with a healthy eating plan, snacks can actually help boost metabolism and burn off more calories. The timing and consuming of those snacks is an important part of a successful weight loss plan
