Dad's Cooking! Happy Mother's Day!

Photo by agifttotreasure.com

Before I go any further I have to mention how good my husband is in the kitchen (in case he reads this!)  He really enjoys cooking and will follow a recipe with a huge number of ingredients!

I know several of my friends whose husbands are also handy in the kitchen but I also know others whose husbands never set foot in there!

With Mother's Day coming up this weekend I thought I'd look at ways Dad's can contribute to raising healthy eaters.

From the very moment you become a Dad you have a vital role to play in feeding.  Supporting Mom when she's feeding a new baby, providing her with drinks and meals when she's too busy or exhausted to prepare anything for herself.

As your little one gets older and more aware, the most important way to raise a healthy eater is to lead by example.  In other words let the kids see you eating healthy foods - grab an apple as a snack, take fruit to work with you, eat your veggies at dinner time!  This has a HUGE impact on children who notice everything that's going on around them.  They will then view eating fruit and veg as 'normal' and not something only they are being made to do.

Photo by The Pottery Stop

We all know how much Dads like to BBQ!  Be sure to toss some corn-on-the-cob, veggie kebabs or baked potatoes on the grill.  Add tomatoes to your burgers and always include a vegetable or salad dish on the side.  Be adventurous!  Try grilling stuffed mushrooms or stuffed peppers, aubergine (eggplant) slices or add chunks of apple to pork kebabs!

Are junk food & soda the staples of your diet?  Everyone is busy these days and it's all too easy to grab fast food.  Limiting your intake of these foods not only sets a good example to your family but will benefit your health which in turn will improve your ability to enjoy and interact with your children.

Are you in charge of taking the kids to their sports at the weekend?  Be prepared with bottles of water and healthy snacks such as fruit, cheese sticks or cereal bars to hand out when they complain they're "starving!" 

Try as often as possible to eat together as a family.  This doesn't mean with trays on your lap all watching the TV over dinner but really sitting together, eating, talking and making mealtimes a relaxed, fun family affair.  Research has shown that family meals help improve healthy eating, reduce the risk of obesity and reduce the chance of teens getting involved in substance abuse.  Just making the effort to sit and eat together whenever  possible brings families closer and makes parents more involved in their children's lives - healthy eating aside - it's worth it for this...

We value your input regarding meals and need you to back us up when we're encouraging our kids to eat healthily.  It's so important for their health, your health and your family's health - and you may even discover some new veggies you love!

So when you and the kids are preparing a meal for Mom on Mother's Day, please know that we really are very grateful (however the meal turns out!)