Originally published September 26 2005
Compromise is the secret to getting children to eat healthy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Christy and Gray Jones of Burlington, like most parents, want their children to eat healthy, but they have found that compromise is the key to getting their children to snack on fruits and vegetables along with some sugary treats, The Burlington Free Press reports.
Like many parents, Christy and Gray Jones of Burlington try to feed their family healthy food.
Compromise seems to be the general rule when it comes to balancing what kids will eat with what parents know is good for them.
The fruit gushers -- a type of fruit gummy snack -- are a special treat, his mother clarifies, and the yogurt, she admits, contains lots of sugar along with its protein and calcium.
"With the snacks, we're trying to get them something that meets the requirements for fruit and vegetables," she says, "and then get them some protein because they're growing.
Her husband, in turn, is responsible for afternoon snacks when he picks up Holden and Paul, 6, from Edmunds Elementary School before their regular routine of after-school sports activities.
The traditional mid-morning elementary school snacks have become a focus for local teachers and school nurses such as Sue Dillon, a nurse and health educator at Waitsfield Elementary School, who has worked with Kiefer to develop programs for her school.
Healthy snacks are critical, particularly for younger children who have limited stomach space and need to eat smaller amounts throughout the day.
Even if a snack is nutritionally neutral, it can take the place of other important "nutrient-dense" foods, says Linda Berlin, extension nutrition specialist in the University of Vermont's department of nutrition and food sciences.
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans released this year describe a healthy diet as one that "emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars."
With the "3-3-9" rule, look for 3 grams of fiber, no more than 3 grams of fat, and no more than 9 grams of sugar.
(Cereals with naturally sweetened dried fruit may exceed the sugars level.)
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