Tips for feeding your kids nourishing food.

How do we nourish our kids with clean food while living in a society of sports drinks, “fruit” snacks, and happy meals? According to the conversations I’ve had with some of our FORM members, it is clear that many parents experience a similar struggle.

Disclaimer: I fed my kids Kraft mac and cheese with hot dogs cut like an octopus. Breakfast was some sort of cake: Eggo waffles, Pop Tarts, French toast sticks, or processed mini muffins. I am not proud of it. I did it because that’s what the other kids ate. And, well, I was in survival mode with three little kids.

My kids are older now. I wish I could say that I did everything right when they were growing up, but I didn’t. Among other failures, my engagement in the nutrition department was lacking. I knew that it was crap (see the definition of c.r.a.p.) that I was feeding them, but did it anyway. I was not engaged in their nutritional well-being. I coasted along and did what everyone else did.

Most of you know the story of Matt (my husband) and me. It took his cancer diagnosis to slap us into a frightening reality: What we put into our bodies has the ability to make us sick.

His diagnosis was also a catalyst for dramatic and life-altering change in the way we view health in our home. So now, I am very much engaged. One of the many blessings we have discovered through Matt’s illness is that we have a chance to change the course of our children’s health. Were we a bit late, yeah. But better late than never.

Here are a few tips that worked for us. It may not be right for you and that is okay. But get ready, there is some tough love coming:

1) Protect your domain. YOU completely control what comes into your house. Do not bring c.r.a.p. in. Do not spend your grocery money on buying products that may harm your kids’ health. I have teenagers that drive. My kids have friends. They are kids. I know they eat c.r.a.p. when they are away from me. I cannot control that. If they want c.r.a.p., they have to spend their own money on it- not ours.

2) Make good food available. Try having snacks like cut up fruit and veggies, cheese or nuts on the table, ready to eat. Make it look cute and serve with toothpicks…kids love to stab things. If it is cut up and ready, they will eat it. If it is sadly withering away in the bottom drawer of your fridge, they won’t.

3) Start with breakfast. A typical kid’s breakfast include one or more of the following things:

• Sugary cereal with milk
• Toast with PB & J (jelly with no fruit)
• Some sort of cake slathered in fake syrup
• Food‐like items chock full of artificial flavors and colors
• A tube of candy disguised as yogurt

And then we send them off to school and expect them to sit still, be nice, and learn something?!

By starting the day with a high octane breakfast, you may discover (like many of our 28-day transFORMation participants) that your kids change. Just like adults, when the c.r.a.p. is removed, you feel better, sleep better, have more energy, are less anxious, have less acne, fewer digestive issues, and feel more calm.

TRY THIS: Provide a whole foods breakfast for your kids that is rich in healthy fats and proteins. Maybe it is bacon and eggs? A breakfast egg muffin? Perhaps a smoothie with a banana, Greek yogurt, chia seed, almond butter, and coconut milk? Plain oatmeal with berries, vanilla, and cinnamon? There are so many wonderful options to choose from! You and your family may need to wake up 10‐15 minutes earlier, but it’s worth it!

4) Make what they like and make it often. Let’s say that the only healthy thing you can get your kid to eat is chicken and roasted sweet potatoes. (This happened at my house. I made it all. the. time.) Small kids don’t usually care about repetition. Sneak in a new food every once in a while, but don’t get all bent out of shape if they don’t like it. Stick to some super-healthy basics that they do like.

5) Try not to be a short order cook. I encourage you to feed your kids what you are eating. This works better if you start young. Our granddaughter, Evie, is our real life example. If we always made her something else to eat, she would grow accustomed to that and expect it. We treat it like there are no other options. “This is what is available to you right now.” End of story.

6) Stay the course. Be strong. Things come full circle. Our youngest, Sam, is now 15. He was a challenge for us for a few years in the healthy eating department. Now, he takes great pride in knowing that he makes good choices. My oldest, Caleb, just turned 20. He gets teased at his frat house for keeping salad in his fridge. It makes my heart soar. It took 19 years for that kid to start eating salad. I never- and I mean never- thought he would purposely eat something green.

7) Be an agent of change. Instead of rewarding our little soccer players with a pouch of syrup & food coloring and a bag of Nutter Butters at the end of their game, how about we try a cheese stick or banana or bag of cold watermelon. They already have a water bottle. And that is what athletes should drink: Water.