Always offer healthy foods to your kids.

 I never understood parents who claimed their children were "picky eaters", yet the only food in the cabinets were sugary cereals, potato chips, and ding dong's. You have to offer a variety of healthy foods to your children if you expect them to eat in a healthy way.

Where is the first place kids look to for guidance? YOU. If you are eating prepackaged, processed food every day, that is what your kids will want to eat too.

Are you unhappy with the way you look or feel? Do you have troubles finding the energy just to accomplish your daily tasks? Do you feel overweight? Then think about the food and drinks you are consuming on a daily basis--Are your children eating the same foods? If you feel like YOU should be eating healthier, then they definitely need to be eating better... Just because they are young and/or skinny, does NOT mean they can eat whatever they want. It is even MORE important for babies, toddlers, kids and teenagers to eat a wide variety of healthy foods.

On Sunday we were in Columbia, MO and stopped at a restaurant called "Sophia's" before heading home. I ordered a salad, and asked for salmon on the side. When our food came, my (almost) three year old asked what the salmon was. I told him it was fish, and he asked for a bite. He ended up eating at least half, but I didn't mind AT ALL. He loved it, and I am so proud of him for trying something new.

Never ONCE have we ordered food for our boys from the "kids menu". (When we eat out, which is NOT very often) Have you noticed the options? Hot dog, mac and cheese, breaded chicken fingers... usually with fries on the side. These meals are NOT healthy. We order healthy foods from the menu and then share with the boys. We all eat off each others plates and try new things.

We don't reward or bribe Cade with candy or any other "treats" like that. So many parents out there have the idea that rewarding your children means buying them their favorite candy bar. On occasion we "reward" him with a new book or toy... For us, the real reward is seeing the excitement on Cade and Cohen's face when we start slicing up a pineapple or cantaloupe on the kitchen counter. They love fruit, and they do okay with vegetables. But we, as parents, try to set an example by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables ourselves. Cade has never had soda pop... my husband and I don't drink it. Our boys don't drink juice (they eat fresh fruits every day instead)... they drink water during the day, and milk before bedtime and when they wake up.

Are your children older now, and have more say about what they eat? That's fine, educate them. "This is NOT good for you, you really should not eat. Why don't you have _______ instead." They will probably fight you, but that's fine. Everyone needs to eat well balanced meals, with very little (IF ANY) sweets. If you cook fresh, home cooked meals and keep healthy foods around, your kids WILL eat them. We make sure we wash all of our fruits and veggies before we put them in the fridge, because Cade will get in there himself and grab a raw carrot as a snack. (which we love!)

It's your job to take care of your family (and yourself!) ... Start establishing healthy eating habits in your house!