Good Health Natural Foods

“Mom, I need to eat tomatoes so my brain is smart” – wouldn’t you love to hear this at your dinner table? Turn your kids on to veggies. Do this by teaching them what foods feed different parts of their bodies so that they can become the best they can be! All kids have dreams of becoming something special. Kids will eat veggies if they know what’s in it for them (not just because it is healthy – boring). If they want to be a football player, eating beets will feed their muscles, if they want to be a singer, eating broccoli will feed their lungs. And, yes, tomatoes fuel your brain, needed for all dreams. Use what a child wants to become and help them understand how food plays an essential role in their goal seeking quests. This will positively change their attitude about eating vegetables.

The catch is they just want them to taste good. That’s reasonable. This is why the Kid Kritics blind taste test process is important; at least 70% of kids have to give positive results forfood products and recipes to be awarded their seal of Approval. Then you know odds are you kids will like them too!

Wouldn’t you just love it if your kids ate at least seven, and begged for more? Take a look to see which parts of the body are fed by these nutrient-packed veggies!

Beets

Blood, heart, mouth/teeth, skin, lungs, muscles, nerves

Tomatoes

Brain, ears, eyes, hair, heart, lungs, mouth/teeth, muscles, nerves

Potatoes

Brain, blood, bones, hair, heart, lungs, muscles, nerves

Broccoli

Brain, blood, bones, ears, eyes, hair, heart, lungs, mouth/teeth, nails, nerves, skin

Spinach

Brain, ears, eyes, hair, heart, lungs, mouth/teeth, muscles, nails

Shiitake Mushrooms

Brain, blood, bones, heart, mouth/teeth, muscles, nails

Carrots

Brain, ears, eyes, hair, heart, lungs, mouth/teeth, nails, skin

HOW TO READ NUTRITION FACTS

Percentages matter.The majority of the nutrition label is dedicated to percentages of different items. The label will list carbohydrates, including sugars and fiber, sodium, fat, cholesterol and nutrients like vitamins and minerals. When items have 5% or your daily value (DV) or less, this is considered low. Anything 20% or higher is considered high. The thing to remember is daily value. If a product has 10% cholesterol, it has 10% of the maximum amount of cholesterol allowed daily for a 2,000 calorie a day diet.

When it comes to fat, cholesterol and sodium, try to stay in the low range. For vitamins, minerals and fiber, aim for high numbers. A food may be low in calories, but if it has no vitamins, minerals or fiber, those calories are all empty. Try to choose foods rich in a range of nutrients to ensure your body receives what it needs.

Scan the ingredient list. When a food has two or more ingredients, it is required to list those ingredients on the label. Each ingredient is listed in descending order according to weight. This will help keep you aware of what you are consuming.

Kid Kritics Approved is dedicated to helping parents make it easy to identify healthier foods and to help motivate kids to want to eat them. Become part of the Kid Kritics Approved family of followers by friending KKA on Facebook, sign up for the newsletter and become a healthy recipe mom or dad. Go to www.KidKritics.com to learn more.