SKN Blog

A new study to be published in Appetite magazine showed that children are willing to eat twice as much fruit when it is prepared in a visually appealing way. These results give parents and the food service industry new ideas about how to increase a child’s overall fruit intake. They already have one advantage to making fruits and vegetables good looking –they are naturally colorful! Study Specifics: Included children aged between 4 an...

The AVERAGE kid takes in way too much sugar! For kids ages 2 to 3 years of age it's about 14 teaspoons per day. For kids ages 4 to 5, it's about 17 teaspoons per day.  That’s just the average kid.  The highest level of added sugar is a whooping 23 teaspoons per day for the youngest preschool kids and more than 26 teaspoons per day for older preschool kids. (The Journal of pediatrics. January 2005; vol 146: pp 105-111) No suprise here, I'v...

With summer days getting hotter, cold foods are a welcomed taste.  Here are some great whole foods to try frozen. The best part is frozen fruits and vegetable are often less expensive.  Your child may like a food frozen, he doesn't prefer at room temperature or heated.  Check out your frozen fruit section of the grocery store. Just don’t savor the moment too long when eating, or they’ll lose their cool. frozen pistachios –the...

Children love learning new things, especially when it involves hands-on activities and food! By combining foods with hands-on activities, children can engage in learning basic skills in an interesting way. Here are a few suggestions to try with your children:  Choose kid-friendly recipes to help teach different lessons. If you are working on letters, you can choose an apple dipping sauce for A, or F for fruit salad. Each week choose�...

Start incorporating these healthy eating habits today that will last a lifetime: Model It – Walk the walk and talk the talk.  Give your kids the best example of health by living it. Slow Down When You Eat – Eat slowly to give your brain time to get the message that your stomach is full.  Play Every Day - Get your family moving together: walk, hike, bike and play. Make Meal Time Memories – Cook and eat together. Brake for Fruit...

Maybe masterpiece isn’t the right word…. but allowing your child to create their own taste combinations encourages new foods. Yesterday while preparing lunch, my preschool aged daughter told me she’d like to make a sandwich. She then put together romaine lettuce, black beans, hardboiled egg whites and balsamic vinaigrette on a whole wheat hamburger bun. I watched her assemble it and take one bite and then another, proudly looking up a...

I recently received a Nutrition Question, through Ask the Nutritionist (RD) on superkidsnutrition.com, “What else can I give my kids at dinner aside from carrots and cauliflower night that my kids will eat.” First off, great job on the cauliflower!  This is a food that may take kids several attempts at trying before they really eat it.  At our home, cauliflower is often referred to as snow clouds or snow trees, sometimes just calling it ...

If you haven’t tuned in yet to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, you can catch last’s week episode at 8pm followed by a new show at 9pm/8 Central on ABC today, Friday April 8th.  You can also catch back episodes on http://www.hulu.com/just search using the key word, “Jamie Oliver”.  You can’t afford to miss his passion, drive and unique style to help create a healthier world.  His approach may help many viewers kick their junk food h...

A hungry child can be a sign of a growing child.  As a child grows and develops their calorie needs increase. Foods have a purpose for growing children –to provide needed nutrients to keep their bodies free of disease and growing healthy. Choose foods that are easily recognized as whole foods –ones without a long list of ingredients. Be sure to include fruits, veggies and beans for their fight-o-chemical plant power. Avoid giving too many em...

As noted by the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, rates of obesity in children ages 2 to 5 have more than doubled since 1980, increasing from 5.0% to 12.4%. Research has shown that eating habits for life are most influenced by age 6 and that moms have the greatest influence. Once a child is at an unhealthy weight, it’s more difficult to achieve a healthier weight later in life.  However, young kids should not go on die...