Thursday, January 16, 2014

Why do my kids snack on chips & cookies?

Have you ever wondered WHY your kids snack on chips, cookies and maybe even want soda?  Simply because these are easy to grab snacks and are the first thing they see when they open the fridge or pantry.  If you were to open your pantry, what foods are on your child's level?  Poptarts, cookies, chips, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc?  Now open the fridge and look at what is in the fridge at your child's eye level? Soda, juice boxes, etc?  Where are your healthy snacks like fruit or vegetables...they are in the bottom drawers in the fridge!  Where are your healthy snacks/foods in the pantry...they are usually on the top shelf!  Gee...maybe, just maybe having snacks on your child's eye level will help them snack healthy!!

Yes it's true!  Kids want to be independent and make their own choices.  Snacks are a great category of eating to let them experience making a healthy choice.  However, YOU still have the control when you organize your pantry and refrigerator with your child(ren) in mind.  So let's re-organize for your kids...

~ Take a look in your fridge, what healthy foods do you see & where are they currently located?  (Kneeling down helps with your view!)
~ Take your fruits and veggies OUT OF THE BOTTOM DRAWER, cut them into snack or bite size and place them in grab bags or in small containers. Then place them on a shelf at your child's eye level. 
~ Also think about where your yogurt, milk, cheese sticks are.
~ Now look at your pantry, where are your healthy foods?
~ Take your healthy foods OFF OF THE TOP SHELF, sort them by suggested portion size as listed on the label and place them on a shelf at your child's eye level!

If you provide your child with healthy options, they will choose healthy snacks!  So while your child is at school or napping...take the time to re-organize your fridge and pantry! 

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