Healthy Eating

What is healthy eating?? Is it eating a diet of fruits and vegetables? Organic? Vegan? Shopping at stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's? I am on a healthy eating kids crusade. In planning a Halloween event for 300 children, I decided it was my mission to not only have a fun event, but to have healthy foods and snacks as well. I am sure there will some moaning and groaning when someone shows up at the cotton candy line only to be greeted by a caramel apple (ugh...okay, not really...this is a compromise!) or a sneer at the organic juice being offered rather than a coca-cola, or the chocolate granola bar over the brownie. I think most parents will agree that kids can still get "jacked" up on healthy food without all the unnecessary artificial sweeteners and preservatives. And puh-leeze, don't call me a party pooper! All of our kids will and do have their fair share of treats regularly. But lets be honest here: most carnivals and fun events for kids are usually filled with crap overkill--fried foods, cotton candy, snow cones (which usually are half eaten then tossed) and sodas, all of which contriubute to sticky fingers, tummy aches, and the inevitable...sugar overload meltdown. (which I am sooooo ovah!)

My "healthy" mission started just a few months ago. I started training for a marathon and decided to see if my body would actually feel better if I changed what I ate since the saying goes, "you are what you eat," and I didn't want to be that Krispy Kreme Donut! My healthier food choices started! I s-l-o-w-l-y traded in my typical breakfast of "crap" aka--donuts, sweet muffins, leftover chocolate cake (you get the idea) and had oatmeal with fresh fruit instead. Lunch was now leftovers from dinner, and dinner was chicken cooked in every and any possible way minus the fatty sauces. I added LOTS of fruit into my regular eating(something I had NEVER done before) and gave up my love/hate relationship with beef. No more pizza 3 times a week or donut holes in the middle of the day with my little one. I now carry a bag of almonds,protein bars, etc. in my bag for mid afternoon snacking. Again, I am NOT dieting. I am making healthy eating decisions.

The first change I noticed was the difference in the way my body felt-both during and afters workouts, and on my recovery days. Rather than feeling sluggish, I felt more energized and strong. After my first 2 weeks, I decided that this would be a lifestyle change for my family. My kids controlled what they ate for so long (frozen crap) that I finally put my foot down and started having them eat real food rather than opening the freezer for their meals. I traded in pizza pockets and canned soups for roasted chicken, turkey burgers veggies and more whole grains (brown rice/wheat pasta). As I continued on this eating healthier lifestyle, I decided to look further into what is healthy and what does it mean to me.

Many people assume that because you shop at a certain store, you are buying healthy. If you are buying organic, you are buying healthy. Healthy eating means making good eating decisions that will improve your health and make you feel good. It means a diet of good proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and water. Not everything we eat is healthy. If I want to eat an Oreo cookie, I want the real deal and not a knock-off. These types of foods should be eaten in moderation. You can't be perfect in eating all the time. You gotta live a little, but making the right healthy decisions on a daily basis isn't that difficult, but its up to you to make the right choices.

Healthy eating choices need to be taught to our children as well. As parents, it is our duty to teach them that eating should be fun yet healthy. They need to learn and understand what vitamins and nutrition are. Every time my kids ask why they have to eat something, I tell them every health benefit that comes to mind along with the typical.....you're going to grow big and strong and you're going to eat it because I said so! (the later the most important!)

The biggest eating dilemma for our family is eating away from home. Healthy eating habits should but do not apply at restaurants. Okay-I understand the occasional pizza/burger joint meal. But what really pisses me off is that I have gotten very good at feeding my kids quality meals at home; however, when we go to a restaurant, the kid's menu is a child's delight! Fried food choices, fake macaroni and cheese, not to mention other high sodium choices, and quite frankly, an array of foods that are not even edible!! Have you ever noticed how little your child eats when you are at a restaurant? Its because your child is served a plate of shit while you are eating something that tastes good! The only bang you get for your buck while dining out with a child is that their drink cup is left empty! They sucked down their lemonade so fast that you didn't have the chance to take it back after you realized that it was "fake" lemonade. From a healthy perspective, you were probably better off ordering the Sprite soda!

Kids know that when the are not at home, their food choices are crap and that they are in control of their dining situation. They live for this!! But deep down, they don't like the crap either. Their bowel movements are mushy and weird colors. And they don't feel good inside! They get jacked up on garbage and then they crash...HARD! If you teach your kids healthy eating habits they will make good decisions on their own. You might be surprised!

Restaurants feel they are catering to us but they aren't. By having these kid-menus, they offer parents a piece of paper, 3 crayons, peace for a few minutes and a plate of indegestion! I mean yes, when I look at my child happily coloring away and I can have a 5 minute uninterrupted conversation, it seems like paradise.... but is it worth my kidding eating a crappy meal or hardly at all? It is never pleasant to go to a restaurant with a toddler. Uninterrupted conversation is best left for date night. Or better yet, how about after dinner, getting home to hear, "I'm hungry." No shit--you ate nothing!! Vacation is even worse!! How many of you have come back wishing you could give your kids a cleanse from the fried foods? !

I hope you will reconsider your child's food options the next time you are at a restaurant. Just take a look and judge for yourself. If it isn't good enough for you, it shouldn't be good enough for your kids. And if you have that taste for restaurant food, opt for takeout, prepare something healthy for your kids, and put the kiddos down earlier for that "extra" conversation time.