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Ignore the whining and serve the veggies

Posted Feb 9, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Feb 9, 2010 at 01:17 PM

I admit it.  I microwave chicken nuggets at least three times a week and give my kids hot dogs at least one night a week.  I give my preschooler a small bowl of cheerios with a “special treat” before bed every night.  Sometimes, it’s a couple of jelly beans, other times it’s two cookies.  I’m hoping his teeth won’t fall out. 

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of giving fast food and sugary snacks to kids. Is it any wonder the latest stats show 32 percent of American kids are overweight?

Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” campaign today to tackle the obesity epidemic.  Two things in particular caught my eye because I know so many parents who do this:

- Hit the fast-food drive-thru rather than cook a balanced dinner.

- Let their kids lounge in front of their TV, computer or video screens instead of riding bikes or taking a walk.

“This isn’t about inches and pounds.  This isn’t about looks; it’s about how kids feel and how they feel about themselves,” the First Lady says.

We can blame the food companies that make the sugary snacks and schools that have vending machines stocked with candy bars and soda, but in the end, it’s up to us to teach our kids how to eat right.  My husband and I don’t eat a lot of junk food.  As a result, we don’t buy a lot of junk food.  Our kids know that snack time means yogurt or raisins or fruit.  They know that in addition to their chicken nuggets and hot dogs, they have to eat their vegetables.  And they know that when they get home from day care, they get one episode of a children’s TV program and then we’re going for a walk around the block with the neighbor’s children.  That’s their routine.  They don’t even think to question it.

I babysat my friends’ children a year ago.  I served hot dogs, green beans, strawberries, string cheese and milk.  The boy, then 8, said to me, “I don’t like this.  I want pizza.”

“I don’t have any pizza,” I said, taken aback.

“Well, you can order it,” he told me.

“No, I can’t,” I said. 

Don’t let your kids dictate what they should eat.  We’re the adults; we’re the ones that have to make the right decisions and teach them that eating healthy won’t kill them.

Eating badly could.

Need some ideas on how to begin?  Here are 30 Kid-friendly veggie meals from Parents.com.

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