Moms Make the Grade
I’m not sure how much news there really is in this, but according to Ragu, America’s moms KNOW what to do to deliver nutrition at home. We just don’t seem to always get it done. (Do we need to list the reasons for them?) At the risk of getting on my soapbox, I am a bit bothered that the study focuses on moms, ignoring all the dads out there who take primary responsibility for feeding their families! Take a look:
Practice what you preach. U.S. moms say that’s easier said than done, especially when it comes to nutrition. According to a recent poll of 1,000 U.S. moms sponsored
by Ragu(R) pasta sauce, 94 percent of moms say they know the nutritional needs of their kids. However, 80 percent find it difficult to deliver that nutrition. Moms say fussy eaters and busy schedules (47 percent and 38 percent, respectively) are the biggest challenges. In fact, an overwhelming 100% of moms admit they use one or more sneaky ways to get their kids to eat veggies, such as offering rewards or hiding veggies in other food.The survey revealed that more than 60 percent of moms would like two to four more hours each day to accomplish everything they need to do while the other third need six to eight hours to get it all done. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they would welcome shortcuts on how to prepare nutritious meals their kids will eat.
* If getting your kids to eat veggies is sometimes challenging, look for new and interesting ways to serve those vegetables you know they’ll eat. If broccoli is the only vegetable your child likes, figuring out more ways to serve it will help keep them from getting bored of it!
* Encourage balanced meals by making your child “Chef for a Day” by letting them help make dinner. They choose the menu, help shop for the ingredients and help with the preparation.* Getting your children to enjoy fruits and vegetables is easy when you play “The Colors Game.” Challenge your kids to eat two of each color — green, red, yellow, orange, and purple — throughout the day. Make sure to go over all the different fruits and vegetables in each color category and, at meal times, ask them “how many colors have you had today?” They’ll love reviewing their menus with you and hearing your praise when they’ve completed the rainbow.
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