Nutrition Expert Says Tips to Healthy Habits are Easy to Come By

By Christina Esparza

    Even though Americans are loading their tables with food each night, we are definitely malnourished.

    Not many of us read the list of ingredients on items that come out of a drive-thru window that reads more like a chemist’s lab inventory than a grocery list. But Jordana Goodman has, and she has some tips for all of us who exclaim, “There just isn’t any time.”

    Goodman is the Nutrition Advisor at Kadima Hebrew Academy in West Hills, California. It’s her job to ensure her 200-plus kids are eating delicious, healthy food for sharper minds and stronger bodies.
 

    “Really educating your children is the greatest tool you could give them,” says the working mother of four. “It’s important that children are aware of what’s going into their bodies.”

    For parents on the go who may not have the time to slave over hot stoves, or are faced with picky eaters, Goodman has an array of tips to make food-making fun, easy and a tool for bonding with your child:

Think Ahead: We don’t always have time to slice carrots, celery or apples before heading out the door in the morning, so Goodman suggest preparing meals and snacks when there is time. Chop some vegetables or slice some fruit the night before. Healthy eating requires some care. Remember, “Fast food doesn’t have to mean McDonald’s,” she says.

Snacks Aren’t Just for Chips Anymore: The keys to healthy eating are fruits and vegetables. Each body requires at least five-to-eight servings of the good stuff a day. That can sometimes be daunting, so Goodman suggests substituting traditional snacks like preservative-loaded potato chips and cupcakes with seasonal fruit: It’s sweet and satisfying.

Climb the Pyramid: The USDA-approved Food Pyramid outlines what the body needs daily to be strong, functioning and healthy. The pyramid lays out the major food groups and amounts of them that should be in a daily diet. You can download it from the Internet at www.MyPyramid.gov.

Prep Food with the Kids: Surprises are fun most of the time, but it can be a bummer when a child opens his or her lunch and is surprised by what’s in there — especially he or she doesn’t like it. Use the Food Pyramid to ask your child what should go into his or her lunch. Ask questions like, “What kind of grains should we use?” Not only are you guaranteeing they’ll like their healthy meal, preparing food together can create some good quality time. But don’t only include them in lunch, welcome them to the market and the preparation of all the day’s meals.

'Just Try It’: Maturing tastes need patience and persistence. Finicky eaters may look at a piece of broccoli and exclaim, “I don’t like it!” However, Goodman says it takes at least 10 times for people to figure out whether they truly like something. Instead of crowding delicate pallets with cheeseburgers and hot dogs, try more healthy alternatives, even if it sparks a battle. The end result is always worth the fight.

Leftovers are Your Friend: Did your little one enjoy that healthy meal you prepared tonight? Well, why not pack it up for lunch tomorrow? Not only do you guarantee your child will eat it, using leftovers for lunch will also save you a lot of time.