SKN Blog

Teaching your young kids about good nutrition with MyPlate can be super easy for parents and fun for kids! First take out a medium size dinner plate. Have your child trace the shape on a piece of paper. Show them the MyPlate logo and have them divide their circle into 4 almost equal parts. Giving a little more space for veggies than fruits and a little more space for grains than protein. Take out some crayons –tell them to pick out the ...

Introducing cultural cuisine to your family by cooking a healthy Chinese dish with your kids. It’s easy and fun!  Moo Goo Gai Pan is a delicious, easy-to-make stir-fry chicken dish with mushrooms and other veggies! Have your child help you wash the vegetables and measure the ingredients. Heat a little olive, grape seed oil or canola oil in a wok and stir-fry mushrooms and canned water chestnuts for 2 minutes. Add celery, pea pods, and 1 ...

Vegetables group; Eat seasonal/colorful vegetables and feel super! Increase your vegetable consumption with fresh, frozen, dried or canned options. Choose colorful vegetables, such as dark green, red & orange to acquire lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Steam, sautée or pan-fry your veggies! Add healthy fat with small amounts of olive, grape seed oil or canola oil. When desiring French fries, choose oven baked sweet potato or b...

Drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated 6-10 cups a day varies with age, refer to SuperKids Nutrition water article Children get dehydrated faster than adults Pack a reusable water bottle to school and work Offer fat-free or 1% milk to your child over the age of 2, or calcium and vitamin D fortified soy milk (non-genetically modified soy) Milk contains calcium, which is needed for growing strong bones. Juice ...

Popcorn is a great snack that is low in calories, sodium and sugar,  high in fiber and is a whole grain. A serving of popcorn (3 cups popped) has 3.5grams of fiber which is equal to the fiber content in one ounce of almonds,1 cup of brown rice or 1 banana.  Plus it’s easy to make with the kids for parties or as an on-the-go snack!  Although microwaving popcorn is the most common way to make it, you should consider alternative preparation me...

Kudos to parents who succeed in getting their kids to eat fruits and vegetables! Sneaking them into sauces, pasta dishes and casseroles is one way – and certainly better than nothing – but why not feature these healthy foods front and center in fun and appealing ways? Adults need fruits and vegetables too so these tips for highlighting fruits can be applied to the whole family: Brighten up your breakfast: Fruits add tons of nutrients, na...

We’ve all been there: while grocery shopping, we promise ourselves we will eat more fresh fruits and so we stock up. But, then we get home, get distracted, life gets in the way and before we know it, by the time we get around to eating it, it’s gone bad. The USDA recommends about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit each day for most age groups*. But, it’s hard to reach that goal when your fruit winds up in the trash. Sure, there are healthy, high-fi...

Kale has been a trendy vegetable for the past couple of years, but many people wonder what you can really cook with it, besides using it to spruce up a salad.  Kale is a member of the cabbage family, and while other types of cabbage are good for us because they contain a lot of vitamin B2, kale provides us with lots of beta-carotene (necessary for vitamin A production and great for our vision), vitamin K (good for our blood), vitamin C (good for...

MODEL YOUR VEGGIES: If you eat your veggies then your kids will eat theirs too. Research suggests the chances a child eats recommended amounts of healthy foods double if their parents do. See more on parent role modeling.  STOCK THE FREEZER: Try fresh vegetables in frozen form to get your kids’ favorite vegetables all year round. Kids love carrots, corn and peppers – all easy-to-prep options to keep in your “frozen pantry.” See 10 t...

This is an easy recipe for tweens or teens to make after school in the toaster oven. For younger children, first cut the apple into smaller slices, then let them use a plastic knive to cut the apple into smaller slices or pieces. Kids also enjoy measuring and tossing ingredients. Ingredients: 1 (7-inch) round whole-wheat pita 1/2 Golden Delicious apple 1 tablespoon honey mustard
(optional) 2 ounces Cabot Garlic and Herb Cheddar ...