FAMILY EFFORT

"You'll always fail on a diet but you cannot fail on a life style change" (Amy Hendel)

From Lissa Coffey http://www.familyeveryday.com
About 25 million children are overweight or obese in the United States. It’s common knowledge that poor eating choices lead to weight issues, but what’s not often discussed is how how unhealthy behaviors are usually (and unwittingly) passed on to children by their well-intentioned parents. Weight management – for children and adolescents – is not an individual issue, but rather one that a family should acknowledge. Until now, family eating habits have rarely been addressed, but now there’s a book that can help families fight against obesity, one meal at a time.

In “Fat Families, Thin Families: How to Save Your Family from the Obesity Trap”, family health expert Amy Hendel teaches families how to identify unhealthy eating habits and create meals that are healthy and enjoyable. She guides families step-by-step through daily planning, preparation and portioning of food, and she also provides tips on how to get the proper amount of exercise. It’s a sensible program designed by someone who understands what it’s like to be a busy parent. Her program includes a unique “rescue plan” for parents who are too tired to cook and too busy to work out. She also has some foolproof family teamwork tips, and a real world approach to making healthy food choices. There are more than 30 no-fuss recipes, smart tips for teens, and special advice for couples.

Here are just a few of her “kid tips”:
-Identify whether your child is a grazer, a mini-meal eater, or a square-mealer and go with it.
-Keep exposing kids to foods even if it takes awhile to get them interested or willing to taste.
-Add pureed fruit, ground-up veggies to recipes whenever possible.
-Keep “grab foods” in the fridge and pantry.
-Cut foods into shapes, kids love it!

This looks like an interesting read! Now that the pool in our neighborhood is open I see how different families cope with the challenges of combining healthy food with a busy daily schedule. Our Sugar Shack provides only unhealthy snacks, meaning High Fructose Corn Syrup and Transfat, or a combination of both. They could sell fruits and veggies as well, but it seems that healthy is still the underdog in the form of a hotdog...

I'll get back to you with some pool snacks and car trip foods soon!

Cheers, MO