healthy eating habits

I was prompted to write this when I saw something about obesity and rising healthcare costs associated with it.

How do I get my kids to eat well and make good choices? I offer them good choices. When I offer them something to drink, I offer water or milk. They get juice rarely. It's a treat, not a given. When I offer a snack, it's "carrots or apples, guys?" Not "cookies or ice cream." At dinner time, there are no chicken nuggets to be found around our house. Not on the dinner table, not in the freezer, not in my shopping basket. Ordering in is a once ever 2 weeks, maybe, kind of thing.

My kids don't overeat and they don't load up on sugar. They eat sensibly, they enjoy their food, and it's healthy too.

When they aren't eating, they're playing. Inside or outside- running around til they are out of breath. You know, good old fashioned exercise? Because I'm home alone, the kids go for walks with me, too. So 4 times a week or so, they go on a big long walk. Of course the baby is in the bjorn and the 2 yo is in a stroller - but they are getting into a routine that will last them a lifetime. They know it's part of a routine to exercise.

What happens to my kids once they've left the house is their business. All I can hope is that by learning good choices at home they will make better choices in life. I know the big one has already started on a good path. In kindergarten, he would come home and tell me that he chose mac n cheese, because the other choice was corn dogs. "and I would never choose one of those, mommy!"