Baby Steps To Getting Healthier Breakdown: Sneak In Healthier Foods
As a mom, I can get pretty sneaky when it comes to getting my kids to eat things they wouldn’t ordinarily eat on their own.
One good example is adding ground flax seed to the French toast batter, Greek yogurt & fiber to the pancake mix, or liquid vitamins into my son’s morning shake.
On a similar note, I’ve seen pet owner friends sneak vitamins or medications to their dogs by hiding it in peanut butter.
But what about YOU?
How are you “sneaking” healthy food into your own diet?
If you’re like a lot of people who have become so accustomed to eating processed (fake) foods, that your body doesn’t even want to SEE healthy food, let alone eat it… then this is for you!
Ways to Sneak In Healthier Foods
The following are ways to help you and your loved ones get more healthy stuff in your diet.
Fruit Smoothies
These are great if you don’t want to masticate an apple or any other whole fruit. You can get an entire daily serving (or more) of fruit in one smoothie.
Not only that, but you can add other healthy items in it such as fiber, healthy fats like (ground) flax seed and coconut, or greens – which leads me to…
Green Smoothies
Aside from getting all of the aforementioned benefits from fruit smoothies, you can also blend greens into them and boost their nutritional value even more!
Greens are rich in vitamins and minerals but, unfortunately, many of us don’t eat them enough, if at all.
But with green smoothies, you can get all the benefits of leafy greens in your diet in a tasty, convenient drink.
Freshly Juiced Fruits & Vegetables
Some people don’t like the consistency of smoothies, so juicing would be a great alternative. One of the differences between juice and smoothies is that, juice is thinner and more potent.
You can juice all fruit, fruit mixed with veggies, or if you want something more savory, all veggies (think V8).
And if you don’t have a juicer, don’t let that stop you because you can make juice using your blender!
Natural Dried Fruit
This is a touchy one because, when you dry fruit, the natural sugars are extremely concentrated. If you are diabetic, then you’ll want to eat dried fruit sparingly, especially if it’s store bought.
But natural, dried fruit is better than candy and a decent way to get some of the benefits of fruit in your diet. I don’t recommend relying on it alone, but it’s a start.
If buying pre-made, it’s best to get all natural with no added chemicals or sugars.
But the absolute best option is to dry it yourself. You can use a dehydrator, or your oven set on the lowest temperature – the key is to make sure the fruit is completely dry so there is no chance for mold growth.
To be even safer, store it in the fridge.
You can either slice your fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, mango, etc.) or puree it and make your own fruit leather!
Eat Fruit & Veggies with Dip, Cheese or Sauce
I remember an animated PSA (circa 1980’s) that used to come on television entitled, “Don’t Drown Your Food”. It basically told kids not to “drown” their veggies and other foods in sauce, dressing, and other “goop” and just enjoy them as is.
That’s all well and fine – it’s good to learn to love the natural flavor of fruits and veggies.
But at the same time…
If you’re barely eating fruits and vegetables and one of the only ways you’ll eat fruit is with a cream cheese dip, or veggies with ranch dressing or melted cheese… then eat the d*#@ fruits and veggies however you have to get ’em in.
Now, having said that…
If you want to kick your health game up a notch, you can make your dips, spreads, and sauces yourself (or buy them) as wholesome and natural as possible. You know… melt real cheddar cheese with milk as opposed to using processed cheese, stuff like that.
Then, overtime, your body may begin to actually like them plain, especially when you incorporate all of the Baby Steps tips.
Until then, you gotta start somewhere.
Mix Into Complimentary Recipes & Dishes
I love chili and spaghetti, and I love when it has the flavor of bell peppers and onions. But, I’m not a huge fan of bell peppers, especially cooked.
So, one day I decided to pull out my clunky food processor from the bottom cupboard and whiz up the bell peppers and onions.
They were chopped so fine, once it got into the chili, it blended right into the meat. I got the flavor I wanted, without the chunks I didn’t. It was great!
I have also cooked the finely chopped veggies with the meat and that works as well.
So if you aren’t big on veggies or huge chunks of veggies, finely chop them and add them to things they’ll compliment such as:
- spaghetti
- chili
- omelet/eggs
- soups/stews
- casseroles
- anything else you can think of
In All Actuality…
You’re not really “sneaking” foods in because, naturally, you’re well aware of what you’re eating. But making those healthier choices more palatable and less conspicuous, sort of tricks your brain.
If it tastes good, sometimes you forget how good it is for you!
Sharing Is Caring!
If you’d like to share this information with loved ones or others, please send them to: gethealthycleanandlean.info/babysteps