WEB EXTRA
How to Nourish Your Children in a Fast-Pace, Fast-Food World
People's lives have become so busy that it is rare that a family has a sit-down, home-cooked dinner and eating-on-the-run has now become the norm. Thanks to team sports, music and dance lessons or other after-school activities, a child may not get an opportunity to eat a sensible meal at home, much less sitting at a table with his or her family. Unfortunately, some parents resort to snack foods, which are devoid of any nutritional value such as: chips, pretzels, goldfish crackers, cereal bars or foods laden with chemicals and damaged-fats (trans-fats) from fast-food restaurants. With so many distractions and obligations these days, how do families eat healthy in a fast-paced, fast-food world? It’s not an easy thing to do but is possible with planning. This is not to say that you should never eat fast-food, but it should be far less often than most people are feeding their children.
To help children establish healthy habits, parents should be good role models and think about the quality of the food that they are eating and that which they are providing to their children. If you, as a parent, go through your entire day without stopping to nourish your body with real food, or reach for a candy bar instead of fruit, your children will think it is acceptable to do the same. It is the parent's responsibility to provide their children with nutritious food that will supply them with long-lasting energy so that they can engage in all of their after-school activities and still be able to focus and complete their homework.
There are five essential nutrients that will give children (and adults) both long-lasting energy as well as focus: proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. The foods recommended below will meet all of these requirements and most can be prepared well in advance so that nutritious foods will always be on-hand for your children.
Protein/Fat Sources:
Good sources of protein and fat are free-range hard-boiled eggs, nitrate-free beef jerky, leftover chicken or turkey, tuna salad, nitrate-free deli meats, full-fat yogurt, all-natural cheeses, nuts and seeds.
Try the following items, which can be found at your local grocery store, Trader Joe's or health food stores such as David's Natural Market in Wild Lake, Roots Market in Clarksville and Mom's Organic Market in Jessup:
- Kalona Super Natural Organic Strawberry Yogurt (found in Roots Market)
- Chobani Low-Fat Yogurt
- Grateful Harvest Organic Beef Jerky (found only in Mom's Organic Market)
- Evol Frozen Burritos
- Tre Bella Foods Frozen Turkey Mini Meatballs
- Gluten Freeda Frozen Burritos
- Organic Valley String Cheese
- Stoney-field Organic Super Smoothie Yogurt Drink
- Applegate Farms Organic Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef or Corned Beef slices
- Trader Joe's Cage-Free Peeled Hard-boiled eggs (found only in Trader Joe's)
- Blue Diamond 100-calorie pack of natural almonds
- Raw crunch bar (found online at Vitacost.com or Rawcrunchbar.com)
Vitamins, Minerals and Water:
Fruits such as bananas, oranges, pears and apples are great portable options that provide vitamins, minerals and water and can be eaten along with the above protein/fat choices. Stock up on Apple-Crushers, which is a portable apple-sauce that can be eaten without a spoon; unsweetened dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, blueberries or cherries; frozen fruit; or as a last resort, all-natural fruit leathers such as the ones from Stretch Island Fruit so that you still have a source of fruit available when you do not have access to fresh fruit.
Vegetables also provide vitamins, minerals and hydration and are easily consumed on the go. Carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, cucumber slices, celery sticks, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower are just some of the vegetables that kids can eat with or without a dip such as hummus or guacamole.
Putting it all together:
Below are six sample meals that can easily be prepared in advance, provide all five of the essential nutrients and be consumed on-the-go:
- Avocado wrapped in turkey, carrot sticks and a clementine.
- A sprouted grain tortilla with chicken or tuna fish salad, spinach leaves and sprouts, and a banana.
- Two hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, mixed nuts and an apple.
- A large smoothie made with full-fat yogurt, frozen fruit, shredded coconut, raw honey and almond butter.
- A heated EVOL Beef, Steak or Chicken Burrito, green beans and applesauce. (Note: once heated, wrap in tin foil to keep warm for hours)
- Beef Jerky, celery sticks with almond butter and raisins (“ants on a log”) and a yogurt drink.
Always check with your physician before starting any exercise regimen or change in diet.
This column is intended to provide only general information that may be of interest to the public and is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for specific medical advice. Any questions regarding your personal health and medical issues should be directed to your physician.
 About Cara L. Zaller, CNC
Cara L. Zaller is a CA team member, certified nutrition consultant, group fitness instructor and personal trainer. For the past seven years, she has been coaching clients to improve their health through exercise, diet and lifestyle modifications. She has also worked with private schools to help them improve their choices of food for snack time, enhancing children’s ability to learn and behave better during the school day, as well as eat nutritional snacks.
Cara earned an MBA from The George Washington University and a BA from Emory University. She is certified through the American Fitness Professionals & Associates, as well as through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Additionally, she has been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years and has competed in both aerobics and figure competitions. During the past two years, she has competed in many triathlons.
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