Ensure that your children are getting the main nutrients they need but not too many calories with these 9 easy shopping and healthy cooking tips.
1. Stock Up 
The stock in your kitchen will definitely influence your children’s food choices. Avoid the high-fat, salty and sugary food, and always try to buy more fruits and vegetables. Especially that portable ones like apples, bananas and carrots. Also other healthful snacks include low-fat yogurt, natural peanut butter, whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese. And replace soda with water and milk.
2. Get Your Children Engaged
Involve your toddlers in the grocery shopping process and teach them to choose healthy snacks. This will make them learn to choose those healthful options even if they are alone or outside home.
3. Give Good Care To The Calcium
Low-fat cheese and yogurt are essentials, add them to meals and snacks: put Cheddar in an omelet; add a slice of cheese to sandwiches; Get creative and make grilled cheese sandwiches appealing to them by using cookie cutters to create fun shapes. Add their favorite fruits to their yogurt.
4. Delight Kids With Dips
Diving vegetables and fruits into yummy dips makes their eats more fun. Try giving them apple slices with a cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt; Offer them carrot sticks with a side of hummus.
5.“Do As I Do.”
Be a role model to them and teach your kids to make healthful choices when they are out. Always ask for green salad besides your main dish and request low fat dressings; Replace mayonnaise with mustard; ask for steamed or grilled dishes rather than fried.
6.Fill Up With Fiber
High-fiber food usually includes 5 grams or more of fiber per serving and the best choice is to have a source of fiber that provides 2.5 to 4.9 grams per serving. Some fiber-friendly foods include cooked navy beans (9.6 grams of fiber for ½ cup), a medium baked sweet potato with skin (3.8 grams) and bran flakes (5.3 grams).
7. Serve Single Portions
Serve single portions in order to make your kids eat in a moderate level. Especially when it comes to chips or ice cream, don’t let them take the whole chips bag and eat. Instead divide the bag into single portions of chips. This way, your kids can automatically learn this practice.
8. Eat More, Weigh Less
Depend on fruits and vegetables in your family diet; they are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. They also give you a feeling of fullness and reduce your calorie consumption.
9. Measure It Out
Teach your kids to measure the size of their food portions. Rice for example is about the same size as an ice cream scoop (approximately ½ cup), so give your toddlers the chance to serve the dinner with you using the right food portions.
