10 Ways To Ease Your Family Into Raw Meals
Vegetables! The dreaded enemy! If you have no problem getting your family to eat plenty of vegetables you're way ahead of the game.
Fruits are a lot easier because for the most part they taste sweet.
For most of us it's a chore getting the recommended 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 4 servings of fruits into all of our family members.
In larger families the job is harder because there are more personalities and personal tastes to deal with.
For adults and children alike, a bag of chips or almost any other junk food is more convenient and tasty than a plate of steamed broccoli or an orange.
So...
how do we get creative and slip more fruits and vegetables into our family's diet? When your family's raw meals encompass 70 percent to 80 percent of your diet, your mission has been accomplished.
1.
A Breakfast Smoothie You can start the day with a smoothie.
You can toss in some protein powder and low fat yogurt (you can find recipes to make your own yogurt if you are trying to get away from processed foods).
You can use a combination of fruits and vegetables, but, pay close attention.
If it turns out green your children probably will refuse to even taste it.
Tasty fruits like pineapple and strawberry and maybe a dash of nutmeg will cover the flavor of the vegetables and provide a pleasant look and taste for children.
If you don't mind using processed foods you may want to toss in a scoop of frozen yogurt or ice cream.
The kids will come to look forward to that breakfast smoothie.
2.
Fruits And Vegetables In Sandwiches Almost everyone loves sandwiches.
Fresh apple slices or banana slices instead of jelly on a peanut butter sandwich is a healthier and tastier treat for lunch or an afternoon snack.
Place a healthy layer of lettuce, tomato and cucumber on chicken or turkey sandwiches.
A vegetable sandwich is another good idea; as long as there's bread and cheese children probably won't even notice that they are eating vegetables.
They will probably be intrigued by the crunchiness.
3.
Try Dried Fruits Raisins, banana chips and other dried fruits are ideal for packing in the children's lunch boxes or in the husband's briefcase.
They are also good oatmeal or cold cereals.
Instead of a bowl of popcorn or potato chips on the table in front of the TV, try placing a bowl of trail mix.
You may want to invest in a dehydrator if you are concerned about serving your family processed foods.
4.
Drink Fruit And Vegetables A great way to jump-start the day is with raw meals in a glass.
Have a glass of fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice ready for each family member first thing in the morning.
If you buy your juice you should get it from the refrigerated section in the store and check the ingredients.
Giving your family juices that are laden with additives and preservatives is no better than giving them soft drinks.
If you use a juicer you can provide fresh vegetable and/or fruit juices with all the vitamins and minerals intact.
Not only can you supply your family with a healthy drink, but you can create an infinite variety of flavors.
5.
Let Them Make Their Own Having a large salad for dinner is not unheard of.
Spend a little time cutting up a variety of fresh vegetables.
Make a large bowl of crisp lettuce and smaller bowls of other fresh, colorful vegetables.
Remember kids are fussy by nature and if it doesn't look good to them they are not even going to attempt to eat it.
Then let everyone make their own salad.
You can also set out different salad dressings and croutons and if you really want to go all out in the area of good health you can make your own salad dressing and croutons.
Before making a lot of extra work for yourself, check the ingredients on the stores packaging.
When checking ingredients you may need to be aware that when a product contains less than.
05 grams of any given ingredient that ingredients content will be rounded downwards and reflected as 0 grams.
6.
Fruits And Vegetables As Snacks An apple is a great healthy snack but let's face it an apple is not appetizing, especially to children.
Husbands and picky children probably won't find an apple very appealing either.
Apple slices with peanut butter spread on top is a good way to get apples into those tummies.
Apple slices with cubes of cheese is good too.
Even sliced vegetables served up with a choice of dips may spark interest in healthier snacks.
Celery stalks with a little peanut butter spread on them is another good healthy snack.
7.
Fresh Fruit Topping Ice cream and frozen yogurt are ideal desserts.
Try a scoop of one of these frozen treats with lots of diced fresh fruit on top.
If you have children they will love the many original flavors you can make if you have an ice cream maker.
8.
Make Vegetable Soup There's nothing like a good, hot bowl of soup on a cold day.
You can throw all kinds of vegetables into it.
Serve it up with crackers or some hot garlic bread.
The next time you bake a roast, keep the bone in the freezer and when you get ready to make your soup stock, you've got it.
That can come in handy also to flavor your soup if you're cutting down of meat consumption and you don't want to actually have chunks of meat in it.
9.
Introduce New Fruits And Vegetables You can get really creative and serve fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways.
But you also want to keep the fruit and vegetable thing interesting by gradually introducing different tastes.
The Pomegranate is a fruit kids will probably love.
Potatoes aren't new but you can slice them very thin, coat them lightly with olive oil so they don't stick, use different seasonings and bake them, making healthy, homemade potato chips.
10.
Get the family involved Let your family members have some involvement in choosing what fruits and vegetables to select as long as they are willing to respect the choices of other family members.
They may even enjoy helping you wash and prepare all this foreign food you want them to begin eating.
You can get everyone's cooperation by simply stating that those who do not participate do not get a say concerning what is served.
In closing, now that everyone is eating healthy and enjoying it, make sure there is always lots of fresh fruits and vegetables around for snacks.
Remember raw meals need to consist of only 70 percent to 80 percent raw foods.
Processed foods should be kept at a minimum.
Fruits are a lot easier because for the most part they taste sweet.
For most of us it's a chore getting the recommended 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 4 servings of fruits into all of our family members.
In larger families the job is harder because there are more personalities and personal tastes to deal with.
For adults and children alike, a bag of chips or almost any other junk food is more convenient and tasty than a plate of steamed broccoli or an orange.
So...
how do we get creative and slip more fruits and vegetables into our family's diet? When your family's raw meals encompass 70 percent to 80 percent of your diet, your mission has been accomplished.
1.
A Breakfast Smoothie You can start the day with a smoothie.
You can toss in some protein powder and low fat yogurt (you can find recipes to make your own yogurt if you are trying to get away from processed foods).
You can use a combination of fruits and vegetables, but, pay close attention.
If it turns out green your children probably will refuse to even taste it.
Tasty fruits like pineapple and strawberry and maybe a dash of nutmeg will cover the flavor of the vegetables and provide a pleasant look and taste for children.
If you don't mind using processed foods you may want to toss in a scoop of frozen yogurt or ice cream.
The kids will come to look forward to that breakfast smoothie.
2.
Fruits And Vegetables In Sandwiches Almost everyone loves sandwiches.
Fresh apple slices or banana slices instead of jelly on a peanut butter sandwich is a healthier and tastier treat for lunch or an afternoon snack.
Place a healthy layer of lettuce, tomato and cucumber on chicken or turkey sandwiches.
A vegetable sandwich is another good idea; as long as there's bread and cheese children probably won't even notice that they are eating vegetables.
They will probably be intrigued by the crunchiness.
3.
Try Dried Fruits Raisins, banana chips and other dried fruits are ideal for packing in the children's lunch boxes or in the husband's briefcase.
They are also good oatmeal or cold cereals.
Instead of a bowl of popcorn or potato chips on the table in front of the TV, try placing a bowl of trail mix.
You may want to invest in a dehydrator if you are concerned about serving your family processed foods.
4.
Drink Fruit And Vegetables A great way to jump-start the day is with raw meals in a glass.
Have a glass of fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice ready for each family member first thing in the morning.
If you buy your juice you should get it from the refrigerated section in the store and check the ingredients.
Giving your family juices that are laden with additives and preservatives is no better than giving them soft drinks.
If you use a juicer you can provide fresh vegetable and/or fruit juices with all the vitamins and minerals intact.
Not only can you supply your family with a healthy drink, but you can create an infinite variety of flavors.
5.
Let Them Make Their Own Having a large salad for dinner is not unheard of.
Spend a little time cutting up a variety of fresh vegetables.
Make a large bowl of crisp lettuce and smaller bowls of other fresh, colorful vegetables.
Remember kids are fussy by nature and if it doesn't look good to them they are not even going to attempt to eat it.
Then let everyone make their own salad.
You can also set out different salad dressings and croutons and if you really want to go all out in the area of good health you can make your own salad dressing and croutons.
Before making a lot of extra work for yourself, check the ingredients on the stores packaging.
When checking ingredients you may need to be aware that when a product contains less than.
05 grams of any given ingredient that ingredients content will be rounded downwards and reflected as 0 grams.
6.
Fruits And Vegetables As Snacks An apple is a great healthy snack but let's face it an apple is not appetizing, especially to children.
Husbands and picky children probably won't find an apple very appealing either.
Apple slices with peanut butter spread on top is a good way to get apples into those tummies.
Apple slices with cubes of cheese is good too.
Even sliced vegetables served up with a choice of dips may spark interest in healthier snacks.
Celery stalks with a little peanut butter spread on them is another good healthy snack.
7.
Fresh Fruit Topping Ice cream and frozen yogurt are ideal desserts.
Try a scoop of one of these frozen treats with lots of diced fresh fruit on top.
If you have children they will love the many original flavors you can make if you have an ice cream maker.
8.
Make Vegetable Soup There's nothing like a good, hot bowl of soup on a cold day.
You can throw all kinds of vegetables into it.
Serve it up with crackers or some hot garlic bread.
The next time you bake a roast, keep the bone in the freezer and when you get ready to make your soup stock, you've got it.
That can come in handy also to flavor your soup if you're cutting down of meat consumption and you don't want to actually have chunks of meat in it.
9.
Introduce New Fruits And Vegetables You can get really creative and serve fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways.
But you also want to keep the fruit and vegetable thing interesting by gradually introducing different tastes.
The Pomegranate is a fruit kids will probably love.
Potatoes aren't new but you can slice them very thin, coat them lightly with olive oil so they don't stick, use different seasonings and bake them, making healthy, homemade potato chips.
10.
Get the family involved Let your family members have some involvement in choosing what fruits and vegetables to select as long as they are willing to respect the choices of other family members.
They may even enjoy helping you wash and prepare all this foreign food you want them to begin eating.
You can get everyone's cooperation by simply stating that those who do not participate do not get a say concerning what is served.
In closing, now that everyone is eating healthy and enjoying it, make sure there is always lots of fresh fruits and vegetables around for snacks.
Remember raw meals need to consist of only 70 percent to 80 percent raw foods.
Processed foods should be kept at a minimum.
Source...