If you eat healthy, so will your kids. Use our easy eating tips to help you.
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Kids feel overwhelmed when they are served adult size portions. Keep serving sizes small, about ½ to ¼ of what you would serve yourself, and let your children ask for more. When it comes to a new food, serve just a teaspoon or two to make the food seem less intimidating.
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When eating out at a restaurant, ask whether your entrée comes with a vegetable side dish. If not, make it a habit to order extra veggies on the side.
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With the exception of olives and avocados, all vegetables and fruit are low in fat. What's more, the fat found in olives and avocados is primarily the monounsaturated, healthier-for-your-heart kind.
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What they don't see won't hurt them! Use the blender or food processor to hide vegetables in food kids love like spaghetti sauce or chili. You can even add pureed carrots to macaroni and cheese.
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When you order pizza out, ask for double the veggies and half the cheese.
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Most people, including kids, tend to eat what is handy. Keep vegetables and fruit in reach and in sight. Keep cookies, chips and candy out of sight and out of reach (better yet, don't keep them around at all).
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To preserve nutrients cook vegetables quickly and only until they reach the 'tender but crisp' stage. Use cooking methods that require little or no liquid - microwaving, baking, steaming, and stir-frying.
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Eat different kinds of vegetables and fruit each day. Each vegetable or fruit has its own unique package of disease-preventing nutrients and plant compounds.
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Are you getting enough iron in your diet? Many women and children don't. Prune juice contains more iron than any other juice. Dried fruits, like raisins and apricots, are also good sources of iron.
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Become famous for the wonderful veggie and dip trays you bring to parties and family dinners.
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Don't slather your sandwiches with butter or regular mayo. Instead add crisp, crunchy veggies and a tangy mustard spread. More nutrition, less fat, great taste!
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Can't get your kids to eat enough veggies? Serve them raw more often. Most kids prefer them this way.
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Supplement your take-out dinner with vegetables and fruit from home. Microwaved veggies are always fast and easy.
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Instead of butter, add low fat sour cream or buttermilk to mashed potatoes. Delicious!
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Got the munchies? Snack on baby carrots while you prepare dinner.
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Research indicates that people who eat more vegetables are less likely to gain weight. Bring on the veggies!
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To help reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke, eat a wide variety of brightly coloured vegetables and fruit each day. Dark green, orange and red vegetables and fruit - like spinach, oranges, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries and red peppers - give you a bigger bang for your nutritional buck. For good health also include cruciferous vegetables - like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage - and allium vegetables - like onions and garlic in your diet.
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Try at least one new healthy recipe involving vegetables and fruit each week.
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Worried about the nutritional value of canned or frozen vegetables and fruit? Don't. Nutrients are more or less 'locked in' when produce is frozen or canned.
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Substitute whole fruit - fresh, frozen or canned - for fruit juices more often. While juices have lots of vitamins and minerals, they contain very little fibre.
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Got a sweet tooth? Snack on baby carrots or dried fruit instead of candy.
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