By John "Slim Goodbody" Burstein
I'm a realist. Kids are surrounded by goodies. Keeping kids away from them could result in them most unattractively raiding the snack cupboards at a friend's house. Instead, teach them moderation and portion control. Here are some ideas to get you started.
1 Show them how much is enough at any one sitting.
2 Show them there are things you eat every day (milk, grains, fruit, and vegetables) and things you don't eat every day (chips, soda, candy).
3 Most households at one time or another have served those fruit bowls from Dole or Del Monte in the plastic cups. Next time you serve them, save the plastic cups. They hold a third of a cup, just enough for dishing up the right portion of snack or ice cream.
4 When serving mashed potatoes and rice, put them in these cups. Place a couple of cups on the plates. This is also perfect for young kids that don't like their foods to touch.
5 Use the snack size plastic Ziploc bags when dishing out snacks for lunches. And only fill them one third of the way up (about 1 ¼"). This represents about a third of a cup.
6 If you're making brownies, cut them in ½" squares, NOT 2" blocks.
7 If you're serving cookies, serve one. Then two becomes what they "sneak", not three.
8 Juice should be served in a juice glass (4 oz.), not in a milk glass (8 oz.) or worse a soda glass (12 oz.). Redirect children to water or milk whenever possible. While I realize variety is important, many juices and juice drinks are full of high fructose corn syrup (sugar) and offer no redeeming nutritional value except for their vitamin additives.
9 Certain sandwich breads are getting bigger too. Pay attention. Half a sandwich may be the "right" serving size.
10 By the way parents, a serving of coffee is 6 oz. If you're using a mug, you're drinking two servings of coffee at a time.
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