10 Tips for Helping Your Family Eat Healthy

1. “Incorporate” veggies into other dishes. Whether you “sneak” them in or not is up to you, but you may want to try these recipes: BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes with Cauliflower Mash, from @busymomblog (cauliflower is high in vitamin C and has a fair amount of fiber), zucchini in pizza sauce, or Sweet Potato Corn Souffle from @DrPraegers
2. Use bento to make meals look cute and fun, says @themombuzz. This is a method of preparation that is definitely gaining in popularity and lends itself to healthy foods. Check out this site for some basic info.
3. Join a produce co-op or find a “pick-your-own” farm near you. @fishmama says: “Just joined a produce co-op and it is providing an abundance of great fruits!” Check out LocalHarvest.org or SustainableTable.org to find a co-op near you, or check out PickYourOwn.org to find a farm.
4. Snack on greek yogurt. Many of our tweeters extolled its virtues, and @ParenthoodCom suggests mixing it with pureed mango for breakfast.
5. Snack on hummus, which is high in fiber, low in cholesterol, and generally very tasty. Do so moderately, as it is also relatively high in fat and sodium(1, 2), even if you prepare it at home.
6. Offer a variety of dipping sauces with healthy food options, that way kids feel they have a say in what they eat, says @themombuzz. @aHealthyHostess says: “Salsa makes a good dipper, so does greek yogurt with cinnamon or taco seasoning mixed in.”
7. Compensate for super-tiredness with “super foods.” @CuteMonsterDad says, “As a parent, I’d say sleep deprivation remains the main combatant to staying healthy.” Parents need to make sure they get plenty of blueberries, salmon, soy, turkey, yogurt, and walnuts.
8. Provide new things in your kids’ school lunches. @TheScramble provides this post with 30 “out-of-the-box” ideas.
9. Know the ideal range of caloric intake for your age and lifestyle, and stick to it. Sites like @SparkPeople and ChooseMyPlate.gov can offer help with that.
10. Make healthy eating a competition with or among your kids. @jylmomIF had her boys save the stickers off fruits and veggies they ate for prizes, and @JoyceHarrellRN  had a game placemat for kids, on which points could be marked each day for the healthy things they’d do and eat,and the kids would get a small prize at the end of 10 days for filling in all the circles.

As @JoyceHarrellRN puts it: “Being healthy starts with making one good choice, after another and another and another.” It doesn’t have to be hard, nor does it have to be boring.

How do you make sure your family eats healthy? How can you get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Mom It Forward, in partnership with 12 for 12K, is kicking off 6-weeks of fundraising for moms and by moms (Tuesday, March 31 through Tuesday May 13) and we need your help!

On Saturday, April 18, Mom It Forward and 12 for 12K events will be taking place all over the US, in Canada, and in Australia (see list of locations below) to raise funds and awareness for Yehu Microfinance, BasaBody, and Coast Coconut Farms. The goal? To combat poverty by empowering poor rural entrepreneurs in Kenya to help lift themselves out of poverty through enhanced accessibility to sustainable financial services, business opportunities, and skills training.

Yehu Microfinance, BasaBody, and Coast Coconut Farms work together to achieve this mission. How? First, women secure micro loans from Yehu Microfinance. Next, they purchase a franchise from Coast Coconut Farms, which gives them the materials, skills/business training, and opportunity to run a coconut oil extraction business right from their village. Then, Coast Coconut Farms makes regular village runs to purchase the coconut oil and processes it in its plant. Finally, Coast Coconut Farms exports the oil to the U.S. where volunteers there use the oil to create and sell bath, body, and cooking products—part of the Basa Body and Coast Coconut Farms product lines—returning the proceeds right back to Africa to help more and more women.

How Can You Help?

Our goal is to raise $35,000 for Yehu Microfinance (click here to learn more about donations) and sell $5,000 worth of Basa Body and Coast Coconut Farms product like mint chocolate truffle and cherry soap with coconut oil (shown left) or hand lotion (shown below). Cash donations or product purchases is certainly one way to help and is much appreciated.

We recognize not everyone can donate cash during these tough financial times. Therefore, we have come up with many ways to contribute:

1. Be part of a Moms Helping Moms event planning committee in your area.
2. Volunteer at a Moms Helping Moms event.
3. Donate product or services for the event (the venue, food, raffle items, etc.).
4. Help us publicize it on and offline.
5. Attend the event.
6. If there is not an event listed for your area, consider putting one together. We have a team and materials in place to help with this initiative.

Where Are Events Taking Place?

Mom It Forward and 12 for 12K are working with volunteers within our communities all over the US, Canada, and Australia to support Yehu Microfinance, BasaBody, and Coast Coconut Farms through fundraising efforts. The live events listed below (details to come) are being planned and carried out by amazingly giving teams of volunteers in local areas. The success of these events relies on terrific volunteer involvement and every team is looking for help. If you have time, services, or products you would be willing to donate, please e-mail us at momitforward AT gmail DOT com so we can put you in touch with the team leader in your area.

Note: Hyperlinked cities mean there is a Facebook group already formed for this team. If you are near one of these cities and would like to contribute, please click on the link, join the Facebook team, and let the team know how you’d like to contribute. Thanks!

The United States
Chicago, IL
Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
DC Metro (DC/MD/VA)

Denver

Kansas City, MO

Los Angeles
Milwaukee, WI
Nashville, TN
New York City, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
Salt Lake City, UT
San Diego, CA

Canada
Toronto
Vancouver

Australia
Sydney

If you are interested in participating or having an event in your area, please contact us at momitforward AT gmail DOT com. Thanks for your interest! Together, we can change the world one mom at a time!

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