I've been trying to eat more green vegetables. Why? Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of the best-selling books, Eat to Live and Disease-Proof Your Child, says "My four children eat green vegetables every day, even my three-year-old son, Sean. They know that green vegetables have more nutrients per calorie than any other food." (Disease-Proof Your Child, p.xxv)
Every day? I have improved my diet significantly over the past couple of years, and I feed my kids vegetables often. But about half of the time, the vegetables are starchier, like potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. I feel good about feeding my kids a lot of vegetables, but after reading Dr. Fuhrman's book, I realize I need to specifically offer green vegetables to my kids every day.
While it seems daunting, one way to increase the amount of green vegetables your kids eat is to feed them green beans. At another point in the introduction of his book, Disease-Proof Your Child, Dr. Fuhrman mentions that his kids eat steamed green beans by the handful as an after-school snack. Genius! I'm going to try it. And you should, too! Green beans are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and when prepared in kid-friendly ways, your children will love them!
The more you offer your kids healthy alternatives to refined sugars and carbohydrates, the more they'll learn to eat healthily. If there's one thing I've learned from eating these past three decades, it is that my body craves what I feed it. If I'm eating tons of candy or donuts, my body craves those types of foods. When I'm eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day, my body craves those. I've learned to incorporate fresh vegetables into every meal of my day. And my children know that after school, their first snack needs to be a piece of fruit. There are still many times when some of my children turn their noses up to the vegetables on the dinner table, but I keep putting them out there using a variety of preparations to encourage their love of fresh and healthy food.
Here's a recipe for green beans that I made for my family for lunch just today and it was delicious!
Sauteed Green Beans
1pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed and sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Water
In a huge stir-fry pan, heat oil over high heat. Add beans, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, onions and about 2 cups water. Allow green beans to steam for 10 minutes, adding more water as necessary until skins of green beans begin to pucker or shrink a bit. Allow water to cook off and season to taste. Serve over a bed of brown rice and sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
Every day? I have improved my diet significantly over the past couple of years, and I feed my kids vegetables often. But about half of the time, the vegetables are starchier, like potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. I feel good about feeding my kids a lot of vegetables, but after reading Dr. Fuhrman's book, I realize I need to specifically offer green vegetables to my kids every day.
While it seems daunting, one way to increase the amount of green vegetables your kids eat is to feed them green beans. At another point in the introduction of his book, Disease-Proof Your Child, Dr. Fuhrman mentions that his kids eat steamed green beans by the handful as an after-school snack. Genius! I'm going to try it. And you should, too! Green beans are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and when prepared in kid-friendly ways, your children will love them!
The more you offer your kids healthy alternatives to refined sugars and carbohydrates, the more they'll learn to eat healthily. If there's one thing I've learned from eating these past three decades, it is that my body craves what I feed it. If I'm eating tons of candy or donuts, my body craves those types of foods. When I'm eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day, my body craves those. I've learned to incorporate fresh vegetables into every meal of my day. And my children know that after school, their first snack needs to be a piece of fruit. There are still many times when some of my children turn their noses up to the vegetables on the dinner table, but I keep putting them out there using a variety of preparations to encourage their love of fresh and healthy food.
Here's a recipe for green beans that I made for my family for lunch just today and it was delicious!
Sauteed Green Beans
1pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed and sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Water
In a huge stir-fry pan, heat oil over high heat. Add beans, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, onions and about 2 cups water. Allow green beans to steam for 10 minutes, adding more water as necessary until skins of green beans begin to pucker or shrink a bit. Allow water to cook off and season to taste. Serve over a bed of brown rice and sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
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