Nutrition

Teaching kids to eat healthy foods at a young age will help them develop healthy eating patterns for life.  Many of your kids' favorite meals can be made healthier with a few simple substitutions that can reduce fat, boost fiber and veggies, and leave all of the flavor intact. Below are some tips that put a healthy spin on some of your kids’ favorite comfort foods.

Mac n’ Cheese

Both kids and adults love macaroni and cheese. It’s a comfort food, but it can pack more calories, fat, and sodium than any of us need. Here are four quick ideas that make this classic meal both tasty and healthy:
•    Add spinach to increase nutrients. Spinach is an excellent source of folic acid
•    Use low-fat milk instead of whole milk to cut down on fat and calories.
•    Use whole-grain pastas instead of regular white pastas for extra fiber
•    And--replace some of the regular (full-fat) cheese with low-fat cottage cheese. This gives the dish an extra-creamy texture.

Tacos

If you aren’t careful, tacos can quickly become a high-fat meal. Some things you can do to make tacos healthy:
•    Use the hard taco shells—they’re lower in calories than the flour tortillas
•    Use frozen soy crumbles instead of hamburger—if you don’t tell the family, they won’t know the difference!
•    Add black beans, salsa and seasoning for extra fiber and flavor
•    Use low fat shredded cheese and low fat sour cream
•    As always, don’t forget the veggies—load up on lettuce, tomatoes, and green peppers

Healthy Dessert Tips

•    Try making a chocolate cake made with only two ingredients—cake mix and canned pumpkin. Pumpkin is a great source of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant.
•    Next time you make brownies, replace the oil with baby food prunes. Yes—prunes! Baby food prunes not only reduces the fat and calories, it also makes a delicious, moist and chewy brownie.