All of us are interested in making sure that our children are as healthy as possible. One of the main ways that we do this is to watch their diet and since we are primarily responsible for the foods that they eat, incorporating some healthy snacks for children into their diet can go a long way in helping them to be healthy and active individuals. As a matter of fact, there are some healthy snacks children love to eat and you might be surprised what exactly how easy it is to incorporate them into their diet.
The first of the healthy snacks children love to eat are fruits. Fruit is naturally high in sugar, but it is not high in the type of sugar that is necessarily bad for them. Some children will like certain types of fruits over another, but it is important for you to include a variety of different fruits in their diet in order for them to be well-rounded. Perhaps you could have an experimentation day, in which they get to choose a different type of fruit to try. Make it interesting for them by cutting it into unique shapes, using cookie cutters if available. Along with that, make sure that you lean more toward the low end of the glycemic index as these are healthy snacks children should be eating and they will keep the sugar levels down naturally.
Whole grains are also something that children should be eating regularly but very few of them get the proper types of grains into their diet. These can be such things as whole wheat English muffins, crackers and even popcorn. Just make sure that whole grain or whole wheat is the first thing that is listed in the nutritional statistics. This will help you to make sure that what you are giving your children is actually a healthy snack and not something that has been refined to the point where it is detrimental to their health.
Nuts and legumes are also one of the healthy eating snacks that children should be eating regularly. More than likely, your child is going to have some type of nut that they enjoy eating but make sure that you are experimenting in this area as well. Perhaps you could incorporate it into trail mix, making it more of an interesting snack. Legumes may be a little bit more difficult, as some children tend to be picky eaters. When prepared properly, however, this becomes an extremely healthy snack for children that they will enjoy eating. The Internet is full of recipes that will help you in this regard. If you are feeding your children healthy snacks that they enjoy, avoid ruining it by giving them high sugary drinks or fruit juices. Although it is important for them to get the nutrients that are in these types of juices sometimes, it is better that they eat them, as drinking calories often adds to weight gain.
Tags: Foods, Fruit Juices, Snacks
Nearly thirty years ago, Diet for a Small Planet, and the follow-up cookbook, Recipes for a Small Planet hit the bookstore shelves with a resounding thud that still echoes. While many of the theories of protein complementarily that Frances Moore Lappe presented have been proven to be naïve by further research, the basic theories of eating and the wonderful meatless – and truly vegetarian – recipes endure. The Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest followed, and then an avalanche of cookbooks devoted to the vegetarian gourmet.
Vegetarian cooking is more than just ‘meatless’. There’s an art to mixing flavors and textures in just the right combinations to create masterpieces that are as appealing to carnivores as to those who’ve eschewed meat. For Indian chefs who practice Ayurvedic cooking, food is more than nutrition – it is a meditation, a gateway to the higher consciousness. There are three major components and six tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent) to be considered in the preparation of every dish, and a meal prepared according to the Ayurveda is a feast for the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the mind.
The very best vegetarian meals are not ‘meatless’ versions of dish that usually has meat in it. ‘Meatless’ lasagna suggests that something is missing from the recipe. Anyone who has dined on spinach lasagna knows that there’s nothing missing – the blend of creamy cheese and spinach and spices is perfect in and of itself. Polenta with spicy black bean sauce has no need of meat to make it more complete – made right it melts on the tongue AND sticks to the ribs at the same time.
Even within the overall umbrella of ‘vegetarian cuisine’ there are variations. Outside Western culture, most meals have little or not meat at all – so it is not surprising to find vegetarian main dishes in Indian and Chinese cuisine, nor in Russian cooking and African regional cuisines. Many base main dish meals on legumes and nuts. Peanut and cashew soups, humus with spices and lemon, fermented black bean sauces ladled over bread and pasta and rice and couscous – Middle Eastern and African cooking offers all of those and more.
If one approaches vegetarian cuisine as a ‘substitute’ for cooking with meat, one is sure to be disappointed. It is a way of eating and cooking, of spices and combinations that can be as light and fluffy as a meringue or as dense and chewy as the best seven grain bread. If you’ve never tried a real vegetarian meal – as opposed to a ‘meatless’ or ‘meat substitute’ – the very best place to start is at your nearest Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant. You’ll be amazed at the flavors and textures – and you won’t even notice
Tags: Food, Vegetarian