It is so true. Mom and dad are a child's first line of defense when it comes to nutrition. They model your behavior and learn from your habits. Of course, kids will still be kids. Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese are always going to be in their Top 10. I'm here to tell you there is nothing wrong with that. Its ok to allow your kids the choice of Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese every once in a while, but certainly not everyday and I would recommend Organic Annie's Mac & Cheese whenever possible. I have an excellent recipe for organic homemade mac & cheese (which I'll share in a future post) but its a tougher sell for little ones. If you do allow them that choice one night, put it with a side of veggies and a glass of Organic Milk. Make it a full meal.
It is our job as parents to choose the right food options for kids. It first starts at the supermarket with what we put into our carts, then at home with the food we prepare at each meal. You want to provide your kids with variety. Their little taste buds need to explore. It takes time and exposure of a certain food for a child to take a liking to it - sometimes up to 20 times. Maybe they honestly never will like broccoli, but you won't go down without a fight. Its important for you to expose your children to many different types of food - colors, shapes, sizes, textures, etc. Allow them to come to the market with you. Ask them to pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try. Let them prepare it with you - they may end up trying it, or even liking it - you may be surprised!
My kids already eat Almond Butter (one ingredient. Almonds.) so this wasn't too outside the box, but the other day I took them with me to the grocery store (as I always do) and allowed them to "make their own" Almond Butter from the fancy machine. They thought it was the coolest thing and started licking it right out of the container. Maybe this could be a fun new thing you could try with your kids - they may even take a liking to it!
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