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Home > Ready for Life > Teachers > Nutrition & Fitness > Food > Eating at Home/Eating Out
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Eating at Home/Eating Out

Eating at Home

We are so busy today. It can be very hard to always cook, and sometimes fast food seems like the best way to feed our families. But fast food is often high in fat and calories and low in many nutrients children need.

Latino/Hispanic/African-American family eating breakfastFresh Ideas

  • Use whole wheat pitas, bread, tortillas or pizza crust.
  • Add vegetables to stews, sauces, casseroles and soups.
  • Reduce fat, sugar and sodium.
  • When using oil, choose olive or vegetable oil and use as little as possible.
  • Choose low-fat or fat-free dressings and margarines.
  • Read labels and don’t choose foods with sugar, corn syrup or fats as one of the first listed ingredients.
  • Choose foods lower in fat.
  • Choose fresh vegetables when possible, then frozen.
  • Canned fruits should be canned in juice instead of syrup.
  • Let your child help! He can wash food, carry ingredients, stir and help in many ways.
  • Cook a large amount of ground beef or chicken cut into chunks to use for meals during the week.

Menu Ideas

  • Mini pizzas
    Use refrigerator biscuits or English muffin halves and let your child spread tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce on them. Top with mozzarella cheese and toast until the cheese melts. Serve with vegetable soup for a quick and easy meal.
  • Cheese toast and veggies
    Toast bread and then put on it cooked broccoli, cauliflower, tomato or another vegetable that is soft. Cover with cheese and put under broiler until the cheese melts.
  • Whole wheat pasta and sauce
    Pasta is easy and quick. Just boil pasta in water until it is tender. Cover with your child’s favorite spaghetti, cheese or other sauce. Add lean ground beef or sautéed chicken chunks.
  • Tacos
    Use whole wheat tortillas and cooked ground beef or pinto beans with cut up tomatoes, cheese and lettuce, with a fruit salad or apple and orange slices for a quick meal.
  • Beans and rice
    Cook enriched instant rice and warm canned beans. Mix and serve with frozen vegetables.
  • Stir fry
    Buy frozen stir-fry vegetables and cook them in a skillet with cooked ground beef or chicken

Eating Out

A four-year-old Hispanic/Latina girl eyes a plate of frech veggies at an outdoor eatery.Eating out is perhaps the most difficult thing to do in a healthy way. Children are drawn to the toys offered in many meals and not to the food. Children will learn very quickly to prefer high fat, sugary and salty foods with fewer nutrients to those that are healthier for them.  Children do not know that a piece of fruit is better for them than a French fry. When you choose to eat fast food, be creative and make it healthier for you and your child with some of the following ideas:

  • Limit eating out to once or twice a week.
  • Freeze meals ahead of time and have simple and quick-to-prepare items, such as salads and frozen chicken breasts, on hand.
  • Talk to children before going out about what foods they can and cannot order.
  • Give children choices of healthier foods offered at fast food restaurants, such as salads, apple sauce and fruit, instead of French fries. Offer broiled chicken or even half of a hamburger instead of a whole hamburger.
  • When eating pizza, choose the kind with cheese and vegetables, and whole wheat crusts when possible.
  • Make eating at home fun. too. Have easy dishes such as vegetables and dip with cheese, or fruit and peanut butter.
  • Order low-fat milk instead of sodas or milk shakes.
  • Sodas should be only an occasional drink for children and should be caffeine-free.
  • Ask for a nutrition guide from fast food restaurants, or look them up on the Internet.

Tips for Eating Healthy

Make Substitutions!

Instead of: Try this:
Ice cream Yogurt
Chips Baked pretzels, celery or carrots
Saltine crackers Whole wheat crackers
Hamburger meat Lean meats, such as chicken and lean beef
Regular yogurt Non-fat yogurt
Bagels English muffins
White bread Whole wheat bread

two-year-old girl enjoying a cup of yogurtWhat about sugar-free?

Artificial sweeteners are now available in a variety of drinks, snacks, candy, cookies, ice cream and other foods, and parents are using them as an alternative to sugar. These foods are a better choice than high-sugar items such as sodas, sugared drinks and snacks, but consider the following:

  • There are no studies on the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners on children.
  • Learning to enjoy the taste of naturally sweet foods like fruits is a better choice.
  • If children get used to the sweet taste of artificially sweetened products, they’ll want them more than other foods.
  • Products containing artificial sweeteners are sometimes higher in fat and calories. Something has to give the food flavor!
  • Most pediatricians advise to avoid giving artificial sweeteners to children under age two.

Related Video

  • Feeding and Fitness: A Drop to Drink

    We often ignore the calories and sugar in the drinks we give our kids. Know about the drinks that are good for your children and the drinks you should avoid giving them.
  • Little Bites, Big Steps

    Understand the importance of nutrition and fitness habits for your child's developing mind and body.
  • Feeding and Fitness: Snack Attack

    This video will help you create healthy snacks for your child instead of junk food.
  • Feeding and Fitness: Move

    Exercise is essential for developing bodies and minds. Learn about fun ways to get your kids moving.
  • Feeding and Fitness: Feeding Your Child

    Learn about ways to give your children the healthy diet they need to grow and develop.
  • Feeding and Fitness: Energy Balance

    To be healthy, a child should put out the same amount of energy he takes in. Understand how to balance your child's activity with the amount of food they eat with this video's help.

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