Perfection Versus Practicality in the Land of Healthy Eating

Well as I mentioned before, I spent about a month looking into ways to encourage healthy eating habits in my kids and along the way have found some tips that help our whole family.  My favorite book remains, "Real Food for Healthy Kids".  "Deceptively Delicious" was an interesting book, but I don't think deceiving my kids is a good way to help them develop good eating habits.  After all, who will sneak cauliflower puree into their mac & cheese when they're adults?  Additionally, several books I read had wonderful ideas, but they were simply not ones that I, practicality wise, can follow.  As a working mom, I plan meals and go to one grocery store once per week - that's all I can manage.   Therefore, everything I have tried fits that parameter.  So...here are a few things that worked for us...please don't think I am recommending anything, just sharing.

1.  Veggie appetizers:  When my family gets home in the evening, they're hungry.  In fact, often they're so hungry that they're "hangry" (which is a term used by my sister to describe the cranky, ornery feeling that accompanies hunger).  In the past, my husband has poured himself a beer and dug into a can of heavily salted mixed nuts and my kids have asked for crackers or chips.  Recently, I began setting out some fresh raw veggies and ranch dressing for dipping.  At first my kids would only eat carrots, but lately they have branched out into sugar snap beans, cucumbers, etc.  I plan to try broccoli & cauliflower next week.  Not only does it abate the "hanger", it gets another serving of fresh veggies into our diets.

2.  Selective Organics:  I've learned to be selective about what I buy organic and what I buy conventional for several reasons.  There are certain items that are critical to buy organic because the items absorb some of the chemicals used in conventional farming, dairy, etc.  However, I also things there are plenty of items that are available as organic when the conventional products are probably not harmful.  Also I think the benefits versus cost has to be considered.

• For produce I buy the organic versions of thin skinned fruits and vegetables (apples, grapes, tomatoes, etc), and tend to buy conventional for items with thicker skin (eggplant, bananas, etc).  This is just a rule of thumb - there are dozens of books on this if you're interested in learning more.
• Milk: I only buy organic milk - there is good data on this in my opinion.  
• Meats: this is hit or miss with me - I'm going to be perfectly honest.  Would it be best to buy 100% organic meats all the time - yes, but it's not always practical or available.  So, I do the best I can here.  Plus, when you're faced with the decision of whether to spend $6.99 on a conventional (but brand name) chicken to roast versus an organic one that costs $25, the miser in me will always win. :)

3.  Limiting simple sugars.  Unlike most, I do not think high fructose corn syrup is the devil (gasp!).  However, I do think simple sugar in general (in all forms; white, brown, raw, and also in the forms of starches such as crackers, tortillas, potatoes, etc) can be problematic because these items are high in calories, and cause insulin surges and subsequent blood sugar highs and lows.   My answer to this is to limit those items and snacking in general.  Instead of crackers & other "carb-y"snacks, my kids have been eating fruit, string cheese, veggies, yogurt, or small amounts of protein (a bit of leftover roast chicken or turkey, etc).  In addition, these snacks are very small.  I have noticed my kids eating better at mealtimes and being more willing to try new items at meals since they are hungrier when the sit down at the table.  Desserts are only served on the weekends or if we have company.  I took all our Christmas candy and froze it and only take out small amounts on the weekends.

Okay, this turned into a bit of a novel.  I truly enjoy experimenting and trying new things - so does my husband.  We're both crazy scientists at heart.  Please remember that these are just my thoughts and what works for me and my family.