I was reading an article recently from Emily Lockhart of Activebeat.com about the 10 worst foods to feed your children..... and here is the kicker..... these are foods that are marketed to the public as "healthy"!
Lets give the author of this great article some credit and here is her background......
Emily Lockhart is a weight loss expert who specializes in healthy living. She is dedicated to providing health-conscious individuals with the information they need to make great lifestyle choices that will make them look and feel better. In her spare time, Emily teaches Pilates at a local studio and enjoys activities like hiking, rowing and biking.
Here is the list she compiled with our thoughts added.
Fruit snacks:
Nutritionists attest that most fruit snacks are actually candy masked in a health label—and no, “fruit juice” doesn’t count. Instead the experts recommend fresh fruit or dried fruit to achieve the same "snack" result.
Soda:
Lets face it..... we have ALL heard the reasons why soda is bad for you.... it causes tooth decay and is loaded with artificial sweeteners that are bad for you... enough said!
Crackers:
Wow this one shocked us.....the reason this one is not "healthy" is that it is made from processed white flour, full of preservatives and unhealthy oils. It makes sense though....who knew!
Juice Boxes:
This one frustrates me....food experts say that they are packed with sugar, lack fiber and lack vitamins because they are void of any quantifiable juice. We agree with Emily- a nice fruit smoothie is much healthier and plus more fun to drink (depending on how you present it to your kiddo).
Pizza:
We are saddened by this one and disagree to an extent..... Emily claims that delivery pizza is unhealthy but depending on what and how you order its not too terribly bad in our opinion. Her point is that using fresh ingredients at home is better and healthier... to that we DO agree. However it does defeat the purpose if the reason you are ordering is because you are too tired to cook- hmmmm what a dilemma!
French Fries:
Well...... we all know that fried food is definitely not healthy but we do agree with Emily that moderation is key with this one!!!! We are aware that they offer very little nutritional value and are very high in fat and sodium (isn't that what makes them yummy). This also includes potato chips and other fried snack food- (I know we are bummed too)....However we also feel that opting for baked chips and to bake your own french fries is a much better way to get your fry fix!
Snack Cakes:
Twinkies and Hoho's are bad and not nutritious???? BUMMER!!! They are loaded with trans fats which as we know is the most unhealthy fats out there...... We agree with Emily this is another time when supplementing with some fresh fruit in the lunchbox is a better idea!
Lunch Meat:
This one is definitely a staple in our kiddo's lunch box..... however, iwe may be giving our children toxic food.. make sure that the meats do not contain Nitrates.... Nitrates have been used in food processing and shown to increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. Scary!!!!
Granola Bars:
This one is tricky.... store bought granola bars are loaded with chocolate chips, marshmallows candy, high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes which in turn makes them about as healthy as 2 cookies..... Emily suggests whipping up a batch of homemade energy bars with natural ingredients like almond or peanut butter, raisins, coconut, whole grain cereal, honey, and dried fruit and nuts. Thanks for the great recipe Emily!!! They sound very delicious and ACTUALLY HEALTHY.
Lastly....Kids Breakfast cereal:
Holy cow...... but cereal has vitamins and minerals.... the box says so.... well here is the truth:
Sure, that box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Captain Crunch might boast a boatload of vitamins and minerals on the label, but when you consider the amount of sugar and processed ingredients per serving, the miniscule amount of nutritional value they offer doesn’t count for much. Nutritionists recommend that when you shop for a suitable cereal for your breakfast table, go for brands that contain at least 3-grams of fiber per serving and less than 10 grams of sugar. The best morning cereal that you can get your kiddo hooked on is whole grain oatmeal, it’s high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and you can sprinkle on some berries and mix it with yogurt, or a dab of honey or real maple syrup.
The moral of this story and our take away message is that buying fresh, cooking at home and READING the fine print is crucial to giving our children the best that we can and trying to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.
***LETS NOT FORGET THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS DIET..... LET'S ALL PUT DOWN OUR PHONES, TABLETS, IPADS AND GAMING SYSTEMS AND GO OUTSIDE- MAYBE THROW A BALL, PLAY A GAME OR TAKE A NICE HIKE!
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