Michelle Obama has really helped promote a new trend and a very healthy one,  fresh farm foods.

I know many schools are trying to incorporate fresh grown fruits and vegetables into their cafeteria program and their nutrition education programs.  I ran across this fairly new organization and wanted to share it with you.

Farm to School brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. The program teaches students about the path from farm to fork, and instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. At the same time, use of local produce in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for farmers in the area and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distances.

They have created a network to help parents and teachers find this type of program into their local schools.   Meeting local farmers and learning about how foods are grown are all part of helping kids love nutrition!

Find a Farm to School Program by clicking on your state.

Related Resources- from our website Nourish Interactive:

Fruits and vegetables worksheets

Food pyramid food groups – fun coloring and learning sheets

I was contacted by Cool Cups to try their kids gel snack pack. What caught my eye was the fact that it was made with all natural ingredients. It is difficult to find healthy pre-packaged snacks that don’t have chemicals, preservatives and other unnatural ingredients.

I am not getting any kick back for sharing this snack with you. When I find a snack that I think might help moms and dads in their struggle to find healthy but fun and tasty foods for their kids, I want to share that.

I did think the sugar was a little high, but they are working on a version that has less sugar.

I contacted the company to see if I could get a coupon for you but they don’t have a system in place yet. However, they are participating in the Whole Foods “Back to School” program where parents can get 20% off during the first two weeks of September.

So here is the top ten features that make this a healthy and tasty snack

1. GELATIN FREE

2. ★VEGAN

3. ★LESS THAN 95 CALORIES

4. ★GLUTEN FREE

5. ★FAT FREE

6. ★DAIRY FREE

7. ★GMO FREE

8. ★HIGH IN VITAMIN C

9. ★NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS

10. ★ NO ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES

Visit Cool Cups to learn more about their healthy and tasty snacks for kids!

‘Healthy snacking’ resources from Nourish Interactive- our healthy family nutrition website:

20 Healthy Snack Food Ideas for Kids -Printable pdf list to put on fridge ‘new healthy snack food ideas!’

Healthy Snack Foods for Kids – A healthy nutrition tips articles from our Nourish Healthy Kids library.

Healthy Snacks Ideas for Half Time

Kids’ Healthy Snacking Printable Goal Agreement- set healthy goals together as a family

Healthy Snacks Kid-Friendly Printable Food Tracking Sheet-Weekly snack food diary to encourage healthier food choices.

The Berry Health Benefits Symposium just convened and more and more wonderful health benefits are being discovered from our tasty fruit, the Berry family:

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Blackberries
• And other berries

Helps protect the body from chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. They block the inflammatory process that we are learning more and more about. Eating high fat foods can cause the body to have an inflammatory response.

Some components in berries fight off infections. Cranberries, for example, contain proanthocyanidins that help prevent urinary tract infections by keeping bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.

Berries taste great and come in so many colors. The darker the better! (more health punch!)

Teach your kids at a young age about the fun of eating berries. A great family day could be going out to a local farm and letting the kids actually pick them!

Here are some Berry helpful tips (sorry, I couldn’t pass that one up)

• Look for colors. The darker the better! (more health punch!)
• Eat a variety
• Eat the whole fruit
• Eat them several times a week

Discover Nourish Interactive – The Fun Way to Learn About Nutrition. Our tools and interactive games teach kids about nutrition and healthy eating habits:
Healthy Eating- Online Food Games for Kids 

Kids Food Pyramid, Food Label and Nutrition Dictionary

Build a Healthy Meal Game 

Tools for Parents:
Learn about our games

Interactive nutrition tools and tips for parents

I was shopping at Whole Foods and found an aisle that had many grains, nuts and seeds but they were in big containers and unpackaged. They were much cheaper because these food items were not packaged. You grab a bag and buy only the amount that you need and it is cheaper per pound than if you bought the packaged food.

I was buying black beans (uncooked) on sale and was able to buy the unpackaged black beans for a $1 less (same amount!). I found the same with brown rice, flax seeds, oat bran and walnuts. I was not bothered at all by having to place the foods in the plastic baggies and add the twist tie. In fact, I was very happy that I could buy the quantity I needed instead of a larger amount.

I would have completely missed this aisle if one of the store assistants had not mentioned it to me. What a treat!

Other tips:

Also look for the store brands. I compared food labels and found foods that were comparable to what I needed but because they were the store brand, it was much cheaper!

I also stay away from the packaged to go items. Yes they are convenient, but they cost a heck of a lot more.

I share this story with you, because there are ways to save money and still shop healthy. We just have to take some time and explore the store a bit.

First Lady Michelle Obama invited children from the Bancroft Elementary School to harvest the vegetables they had planted in March at the White House’s vegetable garden.

The students helped pick the vegetables and then taking it another step further…kids worked with the White House chefs to prepare a meal using the freshly picked vegetables

What I love about Michelle Obama (among many of her inspirational acts) is that she does more than just put on a show for the kids. She is an example and role model for her own kids and those she reaches out to. She uses the vegetables from her garden for her family meals and for formal dinners.

Michelle Obama has really used the garden as a fun way to teach kids about nutrition and the fun of vegetables. By having them help plant and then harvest them, kids are more willing to try vegetables that helped grow.

She continues to remind us that kids need to be involved. It is the best way to help them learn first hand about healthy eating.

More healthy kid eating tips

Kids are growing fast and they often need a snack in between meals. But what are some healthy snacks you can give kids that are full of nutrition and taste great? Here is a list of 25 healthy snacks ideas you can offer your child from the American Dietetic Association. See resources below for our printable ‘healthy snack food’ tracking sheets for kids and a new pdf printable list of healthy snack food ideas from our website Nourish Interactive.

1. Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
2. Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins. Enjoy your “ants on a log.”
3. Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
4. Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
5. Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
6. Top low-fat vanilla yogurt with crunchy granola and sprinkle with blueberries.
7. Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
8. Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
9. Toast a whole grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and sliced peaches.
10. Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
11. Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
12. Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a dinner roll.
13. Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
14. Toss dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in instant oatmeal.
15. Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
16. Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole grain crackers.
17. Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
18. Sprinkle grated Parmesan Cheese on hot popcorn.
19. Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
20. Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shapeusing a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
21. Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
22. Mini Pizza: Toast an English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fatmozzarella cheese.
23. Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
24. Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
25. Parfait: Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries

Cut up fruits are also a great snack!Source: American Dietetic Association

‘Healthy snacking’ resources from Nourish Interactive our fun and healthy family nutrition website:

20 Healthy Snack Food Ideas for Kids -Printable list to put on fridge for new snack food ideas

Healthy Snack Foods for Kids Article from our nutrition library

Healthy Snacks Ideas for Half Time

Kids’ Healthy Snacking Printable Goal Agreement Set healthy goals with our agreement sheets

Healthy Snacks Printable Food Tracking Sheet A weekly snack food diary for kids

If you can’t go 100% organic here are some simple guidelines:

• Buy organic as often as you can. Many grocers now offer store brands with organic choices which are usually less expensive.

• Look for the USDA seal on foods to ensure they are organic.

• Go for organic animal products first to help your children avoid artificial hormones and unnecessary antibiotics

• Second if you can’t go organic on all your fruits and veggies, then buy organic for the “dirty dozen.”(See my ‘Organic Food Tips’ blog post for the list) these are the fruits and veggies that are highest in pesticides.

• Make sure to wash all produce thoroughly

• Check organic produce for bugs that may be inside

We know that small doses of pesticides can damage our health, and especially the health of  children whose organs are growing and still forming. According to the Environmental Working Group and Foodnews.org, here is a list of the fruits and vegetables with the most and the least pesticides.  (not organically grown).The 12 Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

The 15 Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

According to Environmental Working Group, their research has found that:

• People who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables ingest an average of 10 pesticides a day
• Those who ate from the 15 least contaminated list, only ingested 2 or less pesticides a day.

I love fruits and vegetables but have to admit that I don’t buy organic.  Primarily because it is so expensive.  But to my surprise, many of my favorites and my kids’ favorites were on the “most contaminated” list.  This list may have changed my mind!Source:   FoodNews.org. Free printable pocket guide- top 15 high and low pesticide fruits and vegetables

First Lady Michelle Obama shouted, “Let’s hear it for vegetables” and “Let’s hear it for fruits!”On March 20, First Lady Obama began the first full-fledged organic garden right on the grounds of the White House.  With the help of about 2 dozen fifth graders, they dug and raked the soil getting it ready for planting.  She plans on having the kids help harvest the crop too.

This is all part of our First Lady leading by example in her call for “Healthful Eating”. First Lady Obama understands the challenges facing our children, the growing childhood obesity crisis and the importance of developing healthy habits at a young age.  She has two daughters and knows the challenges in getting them to eat healthy.

I think this is a great first step.  Kids are more apt to try more fruits and vegetables when they have more fun experiences associated with them.  Planting a garden or growing a plant in a potter, is a fun way to get kids involved and excited about fruits and vegetables.

I say “Let’s hear it for our First Lady, Michelle Obama!”

Resources:
10 Easy to Grow Vegetables for Kids -Obama White House Garden
 Gardening with Kids Tips