As a new year begins and "better eating" is at the top of the to-do list, I am convicted of my task to do the same with my poor kids. They are a product of what I allow them to eat, and when I am not eating well, they get to enjoy way more junk than the occasional treat. Today, in the car, after I bought them a nasty chocolate donut from the gas station (or the "hot stop" as my husband to cutely refers to it!) as a "treat" for being good during our shopping earlier (yes, roll your eyes, be disappointed, because I do my fair share of unhealthy bribery, it is terrible, I know), I told them to eat up and enjoy because healthier eating days are on their way! This allowed me to ask the question, "Why should we eat better?". And here is what they (and I, with a little spurning) came up with:
1.Be stronger!
2.Feel better!
3.Run faster!
4.Be in a good mood!
This seemed to be convincing enough for Jack and Sophie. Little do they understand that they will be more attentive in school as well, not to mention the internal health benefits! In my effort to get our kids excited about good foods, I am going to make a chart with the above reasons listed and let them keep track of their progress this week. Charts are good in Kindergarten and 1st grade! Post any ideas or methods you have used or heard of to inspire healthy eating in kids! I'll be ready for new ideas soon!
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Dr. Sears says that children should have 15 grams of protein per meal. After puberty, they should have as much as an adult. String cheese is usually an easy option that kids will eat. My 5 year old daughter enjoys boiled eggs.
Go to this link for great breakfast ideas for kids that will get them through the school day, as well as 2 block lunches (7 grams of protein = 1 block, so the 15 recommended is basically a 2 block lunch if you are ever referring to a Zone block chart).
Tomorrow's lunch back to school will be:
all natural applesauce (no sugar added),
7 cheese cubes (I love that each one is 1 gram of protein!),
a peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat, (sad to admit that I spared the piggy bank on the Ezekial bread and bought the buy one get one deal on Pepperidge Farm. It is healthier than a lot, but still doesn't compare to Ezekial).
and a Roarin' Waters drink (has 8g of sugar).
I treat the flavored drink as a sort of fun thing in their lunch because often I will give them water or let them buy milk. Roarin' Waters is not juice, but flavored water. On a related note, Sugar Busters for Kids states that kids should have only 24g (6 tsp) of added sugar per day. I am afraid to know what it has been lately for my kids! Sugar Busters for Kids also recommends a ratio of 50% carbs, 30% fats, and 20% protein, in short, because they are growing up and need energy, rather than growing out and building muscle. I haven't done a detailed comparison, but Sugar Busters is seemingly the Zone because it shares many of the same ideals and recommendations (such as the adult ratio of 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs). The two go hand in hand as far as I am concerned. You could even use the Sugar Busters books as precursers to starting the Zone. Get the sugar under control, then focus on portion control.
About this blog
In other words, the Zone + Crossfit = Optimal Heath!
This blog focuses on nutrition, using the Zone Diet as the basis. However, I often eat Paleo foods in Zone proportions.
I love to investigate anything having to do with food- what we eat and why. And what happens within our bodies, our organs, our brain, when we do? My precious mother struggled with eating disorders. I want to avoid this delimma based on research, common sense, and the natural consequences on my body. The Zone shows me where the balance lies between eating too much and eating too little.
My husband runs a Crossfit gym. Exercise and choosing the right foods have become a mission for ourselves and our children. We don't want to be nerds about it, we just want to be healthy.
I have been asked by several friends what I feed our family, especially our kids. My husband and I follow the Crossfit prescription to nutrition (meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar). If you know me, you know that the sugar part of this equation will be a life long struggle given my love for chocolate! Evan adheres to the stricter version known as the Paleo-Zone diet (and I do on my good days!) which requires the same foods in a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat. Children require 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you're wondering how to figure this out, I do it on a per meal basis and I have a "block" chart from the Zone website.
It seems like a headache at first, but if you're interested, just know that it is not that bad once you practice it for a couple of weeks. All you need is a $10 scale and some determination. It really is quite simple and makes my life easier at the grocery store and when cooking dinner. Most of all, I feel great when I eat well- mentally and physically, and we all know that the physical can affect the mental and visa versa!
Evan and I are hunter/gatherer wanna-be's! This blog will track my journey of health as it should be, and the honest reality of living in a sugar fried culture. When it comes down to it, I get excited to talk about nutrition, but I am definitely not perfect at it! If you have the desire to eat well, but it is often a challenge to overcome the temptations along the way, then you are in the right company!
I hope you leave this blog feeling enlightened and encouraged as you go throughout your day!
I have to report that I copied a list of preferred and not preferred foods from the "Sugar Busters for Kids" book and decided to have lesson with my children, you know, involve them in the process and give them an understanding of which foods are healthiest and why. Well, this was not a good idea when they have yet to come down off the Christmas season's sugar high. Jack became very depressed that I was not going to let him have any sugar! It became not so fun...He wanted to know where the icecream was on the list...but we did highlight our favorite healthy foods! A little at a time, I suppose. :)
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