Play With Your Food!

With all the fake food out there now that our kids are tempted with these days, its can be fun to inspire them to eat fresh living foods.

When my kids were growing up, we used to play a game at the grocery store to keep them busy while I shopped; point out which foods were ‘real’ and which were not.

In the fruit and veggie isle that was easy. Which is a real color? A color from nature? Going down the other isles they were able to point out what was not real..food and colors from a box or bag. These were the processed foods.

Now that they have children of their own, I love having fun with the grandkids to help them remember that what they eat is important. It’s important to eat real food, with nature’s flavors and colors, as close to the garden as possible.

When they visit, we have a chart on the wall that has the days of the week and the colors of the rainbow. When they eat a food that has a real color, they get to put a sticker in that square on the chart. Sometimes each of the boxes have 3 or 4 stickers in it at the end of the day. They’re proud to see how much they've eaten that day that helps them feel their best.

I include them in the garden in the summer, helping to plant and watch grow, and gathering the veggies they want for our meal. I have them help me arrange pieces of food in a fun form to be served at our meal..they love being creative and included.

In the winter when the garden is under snow, sprouts take the place and they help out in the kitchen garden. Growing sprouts in the window and then eating the little sunflower sprout ‘trees’ one-by-one is always fun for them. Put them on a plate with sliced veggies and a nice nut-butter dip, and we know their little bodies are getting the freshest living nutrition possible.

The younger our kids learn what’s real and what is not in the foods they eat, the more they will grow healthy and strong. They will have acquired the taste for freshness, and it will be easy for them navigate the ‘fake’ foods that surround them at their friends’ houses in and school.

So have some fun and play with your food!

Article By Linda Frees