Healthy Eating Tips for the Busy Kid
Sometimes it seems like life continues to get busier and busier. When the kids are back to school, you might be in a constant cycle of driving to and from sport practices, dance recitals, music lessons and social events. To keep your busy kids healthy in the to-and-fro, utilize these five healthy eating tips from AGC Pediatrics.
Five Healthy Eating Tips When You’re On-the-Go
In the car, at practice or in the short stretches at home, use these helpful and simple healthy eating tips to keep your kids happy and healthy.
Prepare
One of the best ways to stay healthy throughout the busy week is to prepare snacks, lunches and dinners ahead of time. Go ahead and bag healthy snacks like fruit and veggies into individual bags. You and your kids will be able to grab these pre-made bags for easy snacking.
For lunches, make your kids’ lunches the night before to avoid the hectic morning scramble. You can even make it a family activity by enlisting the kids in a lunch-building assembly line.
For dinners, prepare as much as you can the night before to make for the next night’s dinner. Meal planning each night’s dinner is a great way to take the guesswork out and shop for the right ingredients.
For lunches, make your kids’ lunches the night before to avoid the hectic morning scramble. You can even make it a family activity by enlisting the kids in a lunch-building assembly line.
For dinners, prepare as much as you can the night before to make for the next night’s dinner. Meal planning each night’s dinner is a great way to take the guesswork out and shop for the right ingredients.
Eat Fresh
Typically, eating fresh food is an easy way to stay healthy. Non-processed, ready-to-eat fresh foods are great for mid-meal cravings. Fruits like apples and bananas or vegetables like carrots and celery are easy and fresh alternatives to many of the processed, sugary snack foods in the store. Plus, these foods can easily be tossed into a book bag, purse or sports bag for a saved-for-later treat.
Drink Water
The majority of kids and adults don’t drink the recommended amount of water daily. Replace sodas and sugary fruit juices with refreshing water. To help get the kids on board with these healthy changes, shop for water bottles together and let them pick out their own bottle. You can even spend time decorating them with pictures, stickers or monograms.
Pack Portably
One of the reasons many people skip healthy foods when they’re in a rush, is because healthy foods are often unpackaged or not portable. Find creative ways to make healthy foods portable like fruit and veggie kabobs, non-fat or low-fat cheese cube bags, or pre-made cucumber sandwiches.
Skip Fast Food
It’s easy to give into fast food. With easy ordering and almost instant gratification, fast food seems like an obvious solution to dinner on the way to practice or study group. Unfortunately, fast food rarely offers healthy and non-processed eating options for you and your kids.
To help stave off fast food temptations, make Sunday a meal prep day for you and your family. With simple preparation, you can get dinner ready for the rest of the week. Go ahead and cut all fruits and vegetables for the week and put them in refrigerator storage containers. Prepare any meat ahead of time by seasoning or marinating it and placing them in storage bags or containers.
For the nights when fast food is unavoidable, opt for restaurants that offer healthy choices for your family like salads, grilled chicken, low-fat milk instead of soda, and fruit options.
To help stave off fast food temptations, make Sunday a meal prep day for you and your family. With simple preparation, you can get dinner ready for the rest of the week. Go ahead and cut all fruits and vegetables for the week and put them in refrigerator storage containers. Prepare any meat ahead of time by seasoning or marinating it and placing them in storage bags or containers.
For the nights when fast food is unavoidable, opt for restaurants that offer healthy choices for your family like salads, grilled chicken, low-fat milk instead of soda, and fruit options.
Book a Pediatric Nutrition Consult with AGC Pediatrics
We know it can be difficult to keep your kids healthy in a busy fast-food world. To help get your kids on the path to a healthy and happy lifestyle, book a pediatric nutrition consult with our expert pediatricians at AGC Pediatrics. To schedule your child’s appointment, call us at 706-625-5900 or book an appointment online.