A proper diet is especially important for growing children. At this level, the children’s minds are still developing and their bodies are growing fast. Without proper nutrition, a child will lack the vitamins and minerals necessary to facilitate a normal growth.

It is important to feed your children a variety of healthy meals and snacks. Avoid feeding children junk food which will only contribute to obesity and malnutrition. The occasional treat will not hurt your child, but it is not healthy to make it a regular habit.

One way to ensure that your child eats healthy at school is to make a bag lunch for your child each day. Include healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables or a variety of nuts. Each of these snacks is high in vitamins and low in fat. They also provide your child with energy to keep their attention on school matters rather than drifting off to sleep.

Also pack a nutritious meal along with a juice box or milk box. Nutritious meals can include sandwiches along with soups. Be sure to pack your children’s meals in small portions as children tend to snack on several items at once. While there is no way to ensure that your child is not trading away their food, you are preventing them from buying school lunches which consist of mostly processed food.

Getting involved with the school can be beneficial. PTA meetings are held regularly for parents to voice their concerns with issues. This would be a good venue for bringing up the subject of healthier school lunches. More than likely, you are not the only parent who has concerns about the food being served in the cafeteria.

As children get older and graduate to junior high and high school, more unhealthy options are available in the lunch room such as ice cream machines and soda machines. Gather a bunch of nutrition-minded parents and create a plan to implement new options into the school cafeterias. While you may not see immediate results, if you keep up your campaigning and your research, eventually someone else’s kids will benefit from your hard work.

There are several ways to implement a healthy, nutritious diet in school-age children. Children need lots of minerals and vitamins in order to develop the tools necessary to facilitate healthy growth in both body and mind. Packing a bag lunch for your children is a great way to monitor what your child eats while at school. Another great solution is to get involved with the PTA and campaign for healthier school lunches. Results may not be immediate, but they will be beneficial.

Ingredients:
4 ½ cups of vegetable broth (preferably low-sodium)
4 tsp olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh basil, minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
4 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil, reduce the heat and keep simmering.

In a non-stick saucepan, heat the oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir for about one minute until well coated.

Add the zucchini, pepper and 1 ½ cups of the broth. Stir constantly until the broth is absorbed. Slowly add more of the broth, about ½ cup at a time. Once absorbed, repeat the procedure until all the broth has been used. Keep on stirring. The rice should be tender in about 20 minutes. Once all the broth is absorbed, stir in the fresh herbs, cheese and season.

Serve immediately.

Ingredients:
3.5-5oz salmon fillets (ideally organic)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp Thai fish sauce
A few sprigs of fresh fennel

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cut squares of aluminium foil for each fillet. Place the fillet skin side down onto the foil and fold it loosely into an open parcel.

Mix together the lime juice, ginger and fish sauce in a little bowl and pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with the fresh fennel. Close the parcels and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
½ cup watermelon, cut into cubes and seeds removed
½ cup honeydew melon, cut into cubes
1 cup cantaloupe, cut into cubes
½ mango, cut into cubes
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
5 fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 ice cubes

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until nice and smooth.

A superhealthy and delicious smoothie.

Ingredients:
2 plain bagels, sliced into thirds horizontally
¼ cup milk
2 large eggs
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp butter

Instructions:
In a shallow dish, beat the eggs, spices and milk. Place the bagel slices into the mixture to soak for about ½ hour. Turn the bagels once to cover both sides.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Fry the bagel slices on both sides until golden.

Serve immediately with maple syrup and crispy bacon!

The basic ethos of the movement is about getting back to basics when it comes to food. It’s buying in season and local. It’s about supporting our local economy and eating food that’s simple, clean, basic and good for you. It seems we truly have gone full circle and many of us are ready to give up the fast food movement that has dominated our society for decades now and move onto slower, more nourishing nutrition.

If you feel the slow food movement may be something you’d like to join or contribute to, here are a few basic ideas to help get you started:

#1 – Buy local. This is a big emphasis of the slow food movement. By buying foods locally, we support local farming and agriculture. Local foods are also better for the environment as they don’t have to be transported for miles to reach supermarket shelves. Another bonus of buying local foods is that they’re more nutritious. After vegetables and fruits are picked, they slowly start to lose their nutrition content. By eating foods earlier after the picking process you take in more nutrients and vitamins.

#2 – Eat in season. Buying local will mean that you naturally eat what is in season. Many experts believe that we are meant to eat what is in our local environment so that we can survive those conditions. For example, in hot climates the emphasis is on watery fruits and vegetables like strawberries, cucumbers, melons, peppers. These foods contribute to our overall need for more fluid and vitamins needed during hot weather. In colder climates our bodies need filling, stocky foods such as potatoes and other root vegetables.

Eating in season is not only good for your health but also for your pocket book. Eating seasonally allows you to get the best produce without having to pay a fortune for it. Foods that need to be imported cost more because there is a higher cost in acquiring and transporting them. By eating in season you support your body, the environment and local farmers.

#3 – Cook from scratch. This doesn’t mean you have to make difficult, time-consuming meals. In fact, the slow food movement emphasises the opposite. You can cook delicious, wholesome meals from scratch with very few ingredients. The key is to cook a variety of fresh, seasonal foods without resorting to pre-prepared foods or junk food.

Cooking from scratch is good for your overall health as you avoid many additives and preservatives. It also saves you money. Pre-packaged foods cost on average more than fresh foods. And with only three or four ingredients you can cook a really delicious meal the whole family is sure to enjoy.

#4 – Make food a priority. A big part of the slow food movement is that we can once again make food a priority in our lives. This movement is about connecting with and enjoying our food. It’s also about families taking a little time to spend more time together, around the family table.

While this isn’t always possible in modern times, the idea is that if parents start putting more emphasis on the importance of family meals, children will follow suit. By showing our children that food is meant to be pleasurable and enjoyed rather than gulped down or rushed, we start to show them the basics of good nutrition.

The slow food movement is a sign of progress for many. It shows that as communities we feel the need to connect to our food and each other. Eating fresh foods, supporting our communities and the environment, and coming together around the family table, are positive steps into the future.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, combine peaches with 1 cup of sugar and water. Stir well. Bring mixture to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Put the butter into a baking dish (3-quart) and place in the oven.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of sugar, flour and milk and stir until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add the mixture to the melted butter. Then add peach slices and pour syrup on top. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Most parents know how important good nutrition is to give their children all the help they can in school. Certain foods can help raise your child’s grades, give them an added push for athletics, and help them maintain a healthy weight. So, even though you want their lunches to be nutritious, finding ways to make them fun will give your child something to look forward to each day.

Ask your child what they want in their lunch bag. Obviously they’ll ask for some items which you’d prefer they did not eat too much of, but you may want to allow them to have some of their favorite things.

Put a note in your child’s lunch bag or box to let them know you’re thinking of them. The note doesn’t have to be mushy so they’ll be embarrassed by it if their friends read it. In fact, the note could be a secret message between the two of you; no one else has to know what it means. Encourage them if they’re struggling with a subject or if they have a test they’ve studied really hard for.

Choosing a cool lunch box can help your child enjoy lunch a little more. Using snack-size zip top bags can encourage your child to eat smaller portions. Be sure to get the printed snack-size bags during the holidays to brighten up your child’s lunch.

Does your child love yogurt or cheese but you’re hesitant to put them in their lunch because you’re concerned about food safety? Buying a cold pack is one option; you can also freeze your child’s juice box (100% juice only) and allow it to thaw before they eat. This will enable your child to have the items they like and you can rest assured they won’t get sick.

Most children love to dip their foods. They may love to dunk their carrot sticks into ranch-style dressing. Apples can be dipped in caramel sauce. Even chicken pieces can be dipped into a sauce of their choice.

Make a big deal over holidays or family celebrations. Pack a piece of birthday cake or cupcake if their birthday falls during the school week. For St. Patrick’s Day, focus on green foods. When Easter gets closer, pack cookies shaped like bunnies or lambs.

Give your child rolled-up sandwiches, or pinwheels, rather than regular sandwiches. Purchase some flour tortillas, spread their favorite condiments on it, and then layer it with the meats and vegetables. Roll it up tightly and wrap it in plastic wrap. Before you pack your child’s lunch, slice the rolls into one-inch to two-inch wide slices.

You can try some of these sure-fire ways to make school lunches fun for your children. And listen to your child to find out about what their ideas are for making school lunches more fun.

People often think that when they’re trying to drop extra pounds they’re limited to what they can eat, and that’s true to a degree. But, there’s no need to starve yourself or eat nothing but rice cakes. You can have snacks which are healthy and taste great so you won’t have to suffer while you’re slimming down.

Advertisements on television and in magazines state each person needs a certain number of dairy servings a day. The ads claim you can actually lose weight by consuming dairy products. Well, why not eat low-fat yogurt as a snack. Add fresh fruit to the yogurt and you’ve taken care of one serving of dairy and one serving of fruit for the day. You’ll also have the benefit of the vitamins and minerals from both foods which are necessary for health.

What do you do if you don’t like yogurt that much? You can get dairy servings in other ways, too; try a low-fat milkshake or smoothie. Using skim or low-fat milk, ice, and either fresh or frozen fruit, you can make a great milkshake to enjoy for breakfast or at any other time of the day.

If you’d like to try something different, why not simply try a green smoothie? You use water, 100% fruit juice, water, fruit, and then add raw spinach or another green leafy vegetable. It may take a bit to get used to, but once you’ve had this type of drink you’ll soon learn to love them. This will be very low fat, as you’re not adding anything to the fruit, vegetables and water, and will be full of health-giving vitamins and minerals.

Make muffins using applesauce in place of the fat (margarine or butter). This will make the muffins lower fat than traditional recipes and you may not even recognize the difference as far as taste. Add shredded carrots to the muffins to give you more nutrients. Use other fruits or vegetables such as bananas and zucchini to make the muffins moist and delicious.

Popcorn is a great healthy snack idea as long as you don’t smother it in butter. Air-popped popcorn has no fat, is healthy, and can be filling. Instead of using salt and melted butter to flavor the popcorn, try adding onion powder, garlic powder, or nutritional yeast instead. Be adventurous and try to find a combination that you’ll enjoy. If you feel you must use fat to help flavor the popcorn, use a spray of olive oil which is a good fat.

When choosing healthy snacks that help you lose weight, remember to choose foods which are low-fat. You also want to limit the amount you eat at one sitting. Even snacks which are healthy can cause you to gain weight rather than lose it if you eat too much.

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas
1 lb free-range chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), cut in thin strips
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
¾ cup, creamy salad dressing of your choice
Oil for frying

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wrap tortillas in foil and heat in oven until warm.

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chicken strips and onion and fry for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Mix in sweet chilli sauce, salt and pepper.

Divide the chicken on each tortilla, top with tomato slices and lettuce, add some salad dressing, roll up and enjoy.