The Myth Behind Protein Bars

Now that school is back on the calendar, many parents struggle with finding healthy snacks for their kids to have when they are on the go.  A popular option is a protein bar, but all protein bars are not created equal. 

Many protein bars are actually candy bars that are made to seem healthy, but if you look at the label, you will see that they contain high amounts of sugar, some as high as 30 grams per bar!  That is way too much sugar. 

The best bars are the ones that have whole ingredients, such as nuts, dried fruit, brown rice, and oats.  The best bars have only four or five ingredients and the first ingredients should never be sugar or corn syrup.  Also, if the ingredients are made of words that sound as though they came from a laboratory, then it is not the best option for your family.

The downside of healthy protein bars is that they are usually more expensive than the less nutritious ones, but one way to keep the cost down is to make them at home.  It can be a great family activity and you will have control over what goes into your bars.  The kids will be more likely to eat a healthier bar if they helped to create them.  Here is a recipe that is nutritious and won’t break the bank:

Snack Bars:

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup chopped nuts * nuts sold in pieces as opposed to whole nuts, are usually less expensive.  Raw nuts are usually less expensive than roasted, so if you buy raw, unsalted nut pieces, that will most likely keep the cost down

4 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

½ cup dried fruit, such as dried cranberries * buying only a few pieces of dried fruit from the bulk bins can help you to save money because you can choose dried fruits that are on sale or cost less per pound and you will also be able to buy only the amount you need. 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan with canola oil

Kids And Vegetables: Give Up the Fight

Almost every parent knows the struggle is real when it comes to getting children to eat vegetables every day.  Children can be stubborn and loud when they don’t want to do something and that can be very frustrating for a parent or caregiver.  It would be much easier to give up and let the kid live off chicken nuggets, but that, of course, would lead to malnutrition and/or childhood obesity.

Studies have shown that most children need to be around a vegetable at least 25 times before the child will get used to it.  A child will be more likely to eat a healthy diet when he is served vegetables on a daily basis and the experience is a positive one.  This means that the child should be able to “check the veggie out” by looking at it, touching it with his finger, or maybe just touching it to his tongue and then putting it down.  As long as the vegetables are on his plate, how he interacts with it should be up to him as long as it isn’t bothering anyone, of course.  Eventually, after playing ninja warriors with his carrots, he’ll be likely to pop one in his mouth and eat it.  No drama, no fighting.  It’s just there and everyone else is eating it, so it must be pretty good, right?

I had one daughter who hated vegetables so much that she would make gagging noises when she saw them.  I tried putting a bit of yellow mustard on the plate (adding ketchup or barbecue sauce for dipping adds sugar and extra calories), but she would just dip her finger into the mustard and lick it off.  She even went through a phase of mashing her vegetables and hiding them in her milk.  I thought that was pretty gross, but she would eventually get thirsty, so they got in her in tummy the end.  She is grown now and eats a mostly plant-based diet and loves vegetables. 

It will take some time and a little patience, but if you stick with it and stay consistent, they will accept fresh veggies as just something healthy that you eat every day!

Next time, we will talk about how to sneak veggies into meals while your child is figuring out the veggie situation. 

Under-Water: The Importance of Hydration

Our bodies are mostly made of water, so it is very important to drink plenty of it.  Of course, you need more water when you are exercising or are outside in the hot weather.  Many people believe that all liquids are created equal, but that is not the case! 

Water is the best option for staying hydrated and it is best to get ahead of dehydration through a few simple practices.  These are practices that the whole family can work on together.  After all, children are more likely to copy the habits they learn from their parents/guardians.  Children who are only offered milk and water are more likely to continue the habit throughout their lives.  

The general rule of thumb is that the average person should drink about 2 liters of water every day.  When you look at a 2-liter bottle of soda, that is actually the amount of water you should be drinking.  It is also important to keep in mind that when you are outside in hot weather or exercising, you will need to drink more water.  You can also drink a sports drink, such as Gatorade to replenish your electrolytes, but it is best to drink sports drinks that have little to no food coloring added.  The coloring that is added to sports drinks and sodas contain unwanted chemicals. 

The same goes for diet sodas. Non-diet sodas have a very high amount of sugar added to them and fruit juices are also high in sugar.  Bottled waters are fine, but children and adults benefit more from drinking water that has been treated with fluoride, so if you live within a city that treats the water, you can drink water from the tap.  The American Dental Association claims that treated water can reduce tooth decay by 25%.

Keep in mind that it is possible to consume too much water and that many foods that have a high water content will add to your daily needs.  Too much water intake can bring your sodium (salt) levels too low and can show up with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.  This is called water intoxication and can be very serious.

A fun water activity you can try with your child is to decorate mason jars and have your child pick from different fruits to add to the water for flavor.  They will enjoy finding out how adding lemons, strawberries, or even sliced cucumbers can change the flavor of water. 

Using mason jars can help you keep track of how much water the family is drinking and each person can have his or her own unique jar to make water more interesting!