Keeping Good Habits over the Holidays

Keeping good habits over the holidays

The holidays are a time of memories, family get-togethers, and of course, an overabundance of sugary treats at every turn.

Since the majority of holiday traditions happen around the dinner (or dessert) table, it can be a challenge to keep kids from going overboard. (Let's be honest, it's hard for us adults, too!)

Here are a few tips to help keep those good habits going, even through the holiday season.

1. Keep plenty of fresh fruit, raw veggies and other healthy snacks in close reach. When sliced red pepper and hummus are just sitting out, children will find it hard to bypass it for the fattening stuff.

2. Let kids help with more than dessert baking. Ask them to help toss the salad, or prepare a soup (with help, of course). Kids always want to help in the kitchen and they can be relied upon for more than cookies! They’ll be filled with pride when their item hits the table, and be more likely to eat it, too!

3. Set a good example. It's hard to ask kids to just take a small sampling of sweets when they see their parents with 3 huge slices of pie! Lead by example and enjoy the dessert table, but in moderation.

4. Make memories with something other than food. Spend time going through old pictures with your kids, making crafts or handmade gifts for friends. Take them to a soup kitchen or shelter to prepare meals for those less fortunate, or hang out with Grandma and have her tell stories about when she was young. Those are the real, cherished memories of the holidays and when you focus on those, the food becomes secondary!

Students Eat More Whole Grains When it's Gradually Added to School Lunch

Students eat more whole grains when it's gradually added to school lunch

Elementary school students will eat more whole grains when healthier bread products are gradually introduced into their school lunches, a new University of Minnesota study shows.
Whole grain breads are strongly recommended as part of a healthy diet, but children and pre-teens won't always eat them.

For this study, researchers from the university's department of food science and nutrition monitored how much bread students threw away, and whether that amount increased as the percentage of whole-grain flour in the bread and rolls was gradually increased. The study included meals fed to kindergartners through sixth-graders at two Hopkins, Minn., elementary schools over the course of a school year. Red and white whole-grain flour was added incrementally to products, but students showed no strong preference for either type of flour. Students didn't throw away more bread products until the percentage of whole-grain flour in the bread and rolls reached about 70 percent.

The research is important because it shows that a gradual approach to improving children's overall diets can be successful both for parents and school food-service workers, said Len Marquart, one of the study's authors and an associate professor at the university.

Wholesome Tummies is in Palm Beach County!!!

Our children's health is in jeopardy.  Lunch programs within our schools are in trouble.  There is a proliferation of offerings that are unhealthy and this should not be the case at school.  The ice cream cooler is at the beginning of the lunch lines at many schools.  More and more children are considered obese.  Parents feel guilty and are not sure what to do to fix the situation.  Wholesome Tummies-Palm Beach County wants to help.  Opening in Palm Beach County in January 2011, we have made it our mission to get our kids healthier.  We want to give easy, healthy choices to parents and kids.  We will deliver a hot (or cold) lunch directly to your child's school.  We offer 6 choices daily and include all of your child's favorites, except that our meats contain no nitrates and our foods have no artificial colors or flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, no added trans fats or artificial ingredients.  We only use fresh and natural foods and design our menu to give children the highest nutritional values possible.  What is not to love?

We are currently offering school tastings.  If you would like to see Wholesome Tummies as a choice at your school, let your school administrator know today and call us at 561-822-3122.  We look forward to building partnerships with schools and parents in our quest to get Palm Beach County kids wholesome and healthy!!