This year I’ve been working on a series about healthy food and other food issues, exercise and activity, the pressing childhood obesity epidemic and more.

Image by Flickr User Bruce Tuten

All of the posts in this series relate to healthy kids, with a focus on these main topics:

• How to be more involved in what and how your kids are eating.
• How to recognize and deal with food and activity problems in your home.
• How to deal with any food and exercise issues that may be holding you back as a good parent.

The overall goal of this series is for parents to gain the tools to raise kids who are allowed to and able to make healthy and green choices for a lifetime. Following, I’ve broken this series down into more manageable chunks…

If you like, bookmark this page, as I’ll be updating it as the series continues.

Start Here

• Childhood obesity and food issues in America SHOULD NOT be taboo
• Encourage healthy lifestyle habits with the bare minimum

Image by Flickr User guy schmidt

Understanding Food & Activity Issues in America

• Child portions are excessive in the United States
• How body weight and calories work
• Signs your child may be overweight

Parents in Denial

• Majority of parents underestimate severity of childhood weight problems
• Why U.S. parents are in denial about childhood weight issues
• Happy Meals are not responsible for your child’s health

Health Consequences of an Overweight or Obese Childhood

• Is it really that dangerous for kids to be overweight?
• Weight problems affect teens differently than younger kids

Healthy Meal Tools

• 10 Basic Principles for Greener and Healthier Family Meals
• Healthy & green packed lunch ideas
• Green & healthy cookbooks
• Green and healthy cooking with kids

Affordable Healthy Meals

• Excuses about healthy meals costing more time & money are bunk
• 70+ tips about how to buy organic food on a budget
• Easy and low-cost organic breakfast

Healthy Activity Tools

• How to cut screen time and get your kids outside
• Move childhood back outside
• Grow a nature loving family

Get Over Your Fear of Kids Being Kids – so they can be more active

• Is it safe to let your kids play outside alone?
• 50 things I did outside as a kid that didn’t kill me
• Do you let your five-year-old go to the park alone?

Parenting Food Fails + How to Solve Them

• Fail tactics when trying to raise healthy kids
• Healthy Kid Meal Fail – Excess Toppings and Sauces

Image by Flickr User woodleywonderworks

Legal and Public Issues Surrounding Food and Activity

• Many pediatricians fail to discuss childhood weight issues with parents
• Is childhood obesity child abuse?
• The (not so) Awesome Happy Meal Lawsuit
• New USDA school lunch guidelines may be healthier
• Is the obesity epidemic an environmental issue?

Extras

• Confessions of a chubster – a fresh first-hand take on weight issues in America
• My son disqualifies me from mentioning childhood obesity

Here at Growing a Green Family we’re looking at how to save $50,000 by going green. In case you’re curious, so far we’ve managed to save $13,761.00, just by taking some basic green actions. That does leave us $36,239 left to go, but cloth diapers should cut a nice big chunk off of this figure.

Image by Flickr User simplyla

How many disposable diapers will you need?

The average newborn baby can speed through 12 diapers in a single day. Older babies and toddlers use less, but still average around 6 to 10 diaper changes a day. That’s a whopping total of 7,500-8,000 disposable diapers over 2.5 years. However, many babies are in diapers longer. Still, for the purpose of this post, we’ll assume you toilet train one of your children super fast.

How much will all these disposable diapers cost you?

It sort of depends on which diapers you use. This being a green blog, I suggest you use the least toxic disposable diapers possible. I’ll be using Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers because they’re probably the most popular less toxic disposable diaper around.

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers

Below are typical diaper prices, if you buy in bulk, along with the sizes you’ll need for various baby ages – although note, the sizes are only average estimates. Some babies run bigger or smaller of course.

• Newborn diapers – up to 10 lbs – 25 cent per diaper (1 mos to 1.5 mos) – 12 diapers a day – 540 diapers = $135
• Stage 1 diapers – 8-14 lbs – 20 cent per diaper (1.5 mos to 4 mos) – 10 diapers a day – 750 diapers = $150
• Stage 2 diapers – 12-18 lbs – 25 cent per diaper (5 mos to 7 mos) – 8 diapers a day – 480 diapers = $120
• Stage 3 diapers – 16-28 lbs – 18 cent per diaper (8 mos to 23 mos) – 8 diapers a day – 3,600 diapers = $648
• Stage 4 diapers – 22-37 lbs – 32 cent per diaper (2 years+) or Stage 5 diapers – 27+ lbs – 37 cent per diaper (2 years+) depending on your kid – 5 diapers a day – 750 diapers = $255

Total diapers needed – 6,120 for one kid, 12,240 for two kids.

Total cost = $1,308 for one kid, $2,616 for two kids.

You’ll also need some Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Training Pants (55 cent per pant). We’ll assume one of your kids potty trains fast, by age 2.5 and the other not until 4. For the first child you’ll need about 5 months of training pants, along with regular diapers, or about $247 worth of training pants. For the second child, you’ll need about $1,133 worth of training pants. That’s a total of $1,380.

Total diapers + training pants for two kids = 14,749

Total costs for two kids = $3,996

Keep in mind that research shows that the average family, with two kids will go through 16,000 diapers, so there’s a good chance I underestimated price.

How many cloth diapers will you need?

Again it depends on what sort of cloth diaper you use. In this case, I’m going with ease of use, which for me, means you use all-in-one-cloth diapers or a hybrid, which are a little more expensive, but also easier than traditional pre-fold cloth diapers. Some choices include:

• GroVia
• gDiapers
• Kushies
• FuzziBunz
• Charlie Banana

Once you choose a brand, you’ll need to choose sizes and amounts. I suggest going with real sizes, not one-size-fits-all, mainly because fit can be iffy. To read more about how to choose the best cloth diapers, I suggest reading Eco-nomical Baby Guide, which has an excellent cloth diaper section, or you can simply read Cloth Diapering Myths to get started.

gBaby Bundle

Overall, say you use gDiapers with reusable inserts. You’ll need about 6-8 little gPants per size (small, medium and large). You can get the gBaby Bundle which comes with 12 tiny gPants, 6 small gPants, 80 gRefills and a swishstick for just $125. Then you’ll also need 8 gDiapers Little gPant Diaper Covers Medium ($136), gDiapers Little gPant Diaper Covers Large ($79) and 3 or so packs of reusable gDiapers Cloth Diaper Inserts ($79). Plus probably an extra 6 or so diapers along the way ($79). Total cost for the gDiaper system = $498.00.

Now, if you go with another brand, like FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper, you’ll need about 12 small, 12 medium and 12 large diapers. That’s a total cost of $577.

If you don’t want to work too hard, you could also go with a mega set, such as the GroVia Live Package ($349), which pretty much allows you to cloth diaper your baby for his entire childhood so long as you add 24 extra shells ($196). Charlie Banana is also easy, as they offer quick sets with 6 reusable diapers + 12 reusable inserts. Once you buy all the sets you need, it’ll be about $600.

You won’t need training pants, as larger size cloth diapers double up as both diapers and trainers.

Charlie Banana cloth diapers

Other supplies you’ll need for cloth diapering:

• A few wet bags, which hold wet cloth diapers and inserts on the go, such as Itzy Ritzy Zippered Wet Bag – $36 for two.
• A bin for wet and icky diapers – same cost as the garbage can you’re using for disposables.
• Disposable inserts some of the time (maybe) when out and about or on a trip. $34+ depending on how often you use them.
• A book about how to use and care for cloth diapers. Again, I suggest Eco-nomical Baby Guide – $14.
• Water for washing and laundry soap. You can use basic, natural laundry soap and cold water. You’ll wash maybe every two days or so. I’m not figuring in this cost because you’ll also spend money on gas to go and get disposables, plus extra garbage fees to toss those disposables, so I’m guessing it all evens out.

Total diapers needed for cloth diapering – about 36, although most people collect a few more. Plus you’ll need reusable inserts – about 24 to 30. If you use disposable inserts, you’ll need more and it’ll cost more, but I suggest reusable inserts on most occasions.

Total cost of cloth diapers – it varies depending on brand, but on average about $556 plus supplies = $636.

Note that this is a high estimate in my opinion. You can easily pick up gently used all-in-ones at your local thrift store or baby consignment shop. Seriously, we’re talking $1 to $2 diapers, which would bring your costs down considerably. You can also register for cloth diapers for your baby shower.

Plus, don’t forget, cloth diapers will last through both kids. Assuming you need to replace some diapers and inserts, which you will, your total cloth diaper costs should only be around $700-$800 if you splurge and $120 – $300 if you really shop around at consignment stores. If you use basic pre-fold diapers, you’ll save too.

Here are some more cost comparisons of cloth diapers – what real parents spend, cost of cloth diapers and cost savings of cloth diapers.

Comparing costs

Overall, if you have two children, you’ll spend $3,996+ on disposable diapers. If you go with cloth you’ll spend about $300 to $636 for both kids that’s a savings of $3,360 for two kids. Even if you totally go nuts and splurge on all sorts of adorable reusable cloth diapers, plus buy brand new for both kids you’ll still save around $2,724.

Image by Flickr User IngaMun

PLUS…

Beyond cost benefits you’ll be helping the planet. Most research suggest that 250 to 500 years is a conservative guess as to how long disposable diapers will sit in the landfill after you toss them and most conventional disposable diapers are 100% gross. They’re stuffed with icky SAP, pesticides, perfume, latex, chemicals and plastic (made with non-renewable oil) and other junk.

Where we’re at right now…

• Save $3,360 by using cloth diapers
• Save $835 per kid by using to reusable baby wipes
• Save $1,612 by using homemade green cleaners
• Save $2,960 by having a less consumer Christmas
• Save $1,000 by ditching paper towels
• Save $1,354 by using cloth napkins
• Save $6,000 by switching to reusable water bottles

TOTAL SAVINGS SO FAR: $17,121.00

$ left to save: $32,879

In the last post we looked at how to choose the best, safest and most eco-friendly store-bought cleaners. With this in mind, I thought I’d share my top picks for store-bought green cleaners.

I like homemade green cleaners best, but as I noted in the previous post, it’s hard to get everyone in my house on board with homemade. There’s a slight learning curve. You have to know stuff, like what baking soda is good for, how to use salt to clean and how to mix up the proper amount of natural soap vs. H2O. If we only kept homemade cleaning supplies in the house, it would be hard for me to get help cleaning. Basically, until I can get everyone else up to speed, we do buy some green cleaners.

Following are my favorite green cleaners…

BATHROOM

Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Emerald Cypress & Fir Scent – this toilet bowl cleaner works great (read my review). In fact, I think it’s better than homemade toilet bowl cleaner – which is rare for me. It smells nice and leaves the toilet very clean.

Sometimes, if it’s on sale, we’ve bought Mrs Meyers Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner (Basil) too. I like the scent of this cleaner, but I don’t think it works as well as 7th gen. It’s a decent second place choice though.

GENERAL CLEANING – by general I mean everything; counters, walls, mirrors, etc. 

For general, every-day cleaning my favorite product is Earth Friendly Products Parsley Plus Cleaner. This smells AMAZING and works like a charm. Plus, I really like Earth Friendly Products in general. It’s a little pricey, but smells so great, it’s worth it.

When I don’t want to splurge I’ll buy Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus Concentrated All Purpose Household Cleaner, which costs less and makes TONS of bottles. In fact, I think the last time I bought this we got ten or so bottles of cleaner out of it. It’s concentrated, so you have to mix it yourself, but it gets everything clean, from sinks to counters to cupboards to grease stains and even glass. It’s one of my new favorite store-bought green cleaners.

I also will use plain old soap for cleaning. For instance, you can buy a huge bulk container of Dr. Bronner’s, add some to a spray bottle with water and use it to clean. Plus, you can refill reusable hand soap pumps with it, wash dishes and even, in a pinch, use it for laundry.

LAUNDRY

For laundry, Biokleen Citrus Laundry Powder is pretty much the only stuff I buy. It’s super inexpensive and works great. I only buy the powder though, as the liquid costs more. If you’re looking for a good liquid laundry soap try Vaska Laundry Detergent. Vaska works really, really well. The downside is it’s more expensive and hard to find. None of my local grocers carry it.

I never buy dryer sheets. I think they’re a waste of materials. My boyfriend likes them though, but he is willing to make do with either fabric softener or dryer sheets, not both, so I talked him into Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Fabric Softener, Lavender. This works well I guess if you like fabric softener – although honestly, I could do without. Still it does make your sheets smell excellent.

DISHES

Washing dishes is relaxing for me, but the price of eco-friendly dish soap and dishwasher detergent is anything but. Most of the time it’s really expensive, and often greener dishwasher detergent works terrible. That said, you may have to shell out more cash for one that actually works. So far, the two best dishwasher detergents we’ve used are Seventh Generation Auto Dish Pacs (Free and Clear) and Ecover Automatic Dishwashing Tablets.

We’ve tried tons of dishwasher liquid detergents and had little luck – i.e. they seem to leave stuff dirty. Both of these choices above cost more, but aren’t toxic and do work, so although I think they’re a little over-packaged, they’re what I’d recommend.

As for hand washing dishes, I’m not too particular. Soap is soap in this case. I tend to buy the least expensive natural, non-toxic soap I can find for when we hand wash. Sometimes that’s Dr Bronners Magic Pure-Castile Soap Organic (bulk) in almond, because I like the almond scent and sometimes it’s Seventh Generation Dish Liquid. It all works fine.

HAND SOAP

I like to buy plain soap in bulk and refill reusable hand soap containers. That’s your greenest option. That said, if you’re looking for a store-bought version, we’ve tested and like the following:

• Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap – in lavender or basil.
• Earth Friendly Products Hand Soap
• Seventh Generation Hand Wash

EXTRAS

I don’t buy silver cleaner, because I don’t clean silver. However, if you need a good silver cleaner I’ve tested out Earth Friendly Products Silver Polish and it works very well.

Because I have kids in the house, I sometimes like to use fabric refresher on the couch and chairs. Most conventional fabric refreshers are icky though and I haven’t found a homemade one (yet) that doesn’t stain fabric. The best green choice I’ve found is Earth Friendly Products Stain & Odor Remover – this smells nice and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Biokleen Bac-out Fresh Lemon-thyme works well, but costs more and you don’t get as much.

I NEVER BUY…

Oven cleaner, wood cleaner, floor-specific cleaner or glass cleaner. I’ve tried some natural store-bought versions of these products, when companies have sent them to me, but overall, you don’t need them. I use baking soda, salt or soap and water to clean the oven. I use that orange cleaner above to clean glass and wood.

As for floors I just use steamy hot water because I have a Shark 2-in-1 Vac-then-Steam. We don’t use carpet cleaner, we just vacuum regularly and use soap for spot treating, plus have the carpets cleaned annually.

BRANDS TO WATCH FOR

If you just want to check out brands, and see their product line, here’s some help…

• Earth Friendly Products  - My favorite green brand for household cleaners. Fairly inexpensive in my opinion, but harder to find at local grocers.

• Seventh Generation – Has pros and cons along with a decent line of cleaners. Plus, you can find them everywhere and usually on sale. Read my company review.

• Biokleen – Best company for greener, inexpensive laundry products. I like their household cleaners too, but rarely buy them as most come with more expensive price tags.

• Ecover – This company is super hit or miss at my local stores. You may find their products, but you’re just as likely not to. They’re comparable price-wise, but I tend to go with other companies first.

• Mrs. Meyers – I like their products, and they’re easy to find at almost all stores, but they’re very expensive. Plus, to be honest, while I’ve reviewed individual products, I haven’t done a full review of their company, so I can’t say how green they are.

• Method – This is another company I need to do a full review of. I’m not sure how green (or not) they are. I do know that they seem to be only at select store and only select products are available. I don’t shop at places that carry much of them, so I don’t use them, but I have heard decent things about them. They may be worth checking out.

What are your favorite store-bought cleaners?

Although I advocate homemade green cleaners, I do get that many people still won’t use them. There are time constraints for sure. Also, in some households, people refuse to take the time to learn how to mix and use homemade cleaners.

That’s okay. For years, my son and I lived alone. We made almost all our own green cleaners. Now I live with other people and homemade cleaners are more problematic, because everyone in the house needs to know how to mix and use them. I can’t force people to use homemade cleaners correctly. This is a longer story, for another time, but to cut to the chase, since I started living with others, we do buy more store-bought green cleaners. I’m not crazy about it, but I’m also not nuts about a filthy house.

In any case, there will always be folks who want to buy, not make household cleaners, so we should take a look at how to actually buy green and safe cleaners.

Image © Flickr User Zepfanman.com

The number one rule!

Ignore pretty packaging – Pretty waterfalls, little green leaf and flower designs or green colored bottles mean NOTHING. Companies will try to trick you into buying their “green” cleaner by using super awesome green looking packaging, but don’t fall for it.  You must read labels to be sure a product is green and safe.

Terms you DO want to see on cleaning product packaging include:

• Ammonia free
• Chlorine free
• Plant based
• Biodegradable
• Certified organic
• Solvent free
• Phosphate free
• Chemical free
• Fragrance free
• Dye and artificial color free

Obviously, read the entire label. Often, a cleaner will contain one certified organic ingredient or state that it’s fragrance free on the front, but one or two good claims does not a green product make. You need to look at the whole picture.

Image by greschoj via sxc.

Terms you DO NOT want to see on cleaning product packaging include:

• “Poison” or “Danger.” Federal law mandates that when a product displays these terms the product has the highest possible level of hazard.

• “Caution” or “Warning” according to law, means the product carries a moderate hazard.

• “Wear gloves when using” or “Only use in a well ventilated area” and other likewise terms are big bads. Honestly, this is common sense. If you must wear gloves to handle a cleaner, obviously there’s a big safety problem.

• No terms at all. If you can’t find ingredients listed on a package, skip it.

• Terms you can’t pronounce or easily understand. “Essential orange oil” or “Vinegar” or “Lemon juice” or “Baking soda” are things you know are mostly safe when used correctly. However, I’d be willing to bet you don’t know what terms like diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isopropanol or triethanolamine mean and you sure don’t know if they’re safe or not.

Look at the packging

Go a step further

• The Household Product Database
• Look at Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for products

Image © Franny-Anne

Consider homemade green cleaners

You can easily make homemade green cleaner. Bonus, making homemade cleaners can save you $1,600 in five years. If you need help getting started, check out the following:

• Homemade Green Cleaner Safety
• Homemade Green Kitchen Cleaners
• Homemade All-Purpose Cleaners & Safer Mold Cleaners
• Easy Homemade Organic Liquid Hand Soap
• Green and safe kitchen pantry homemade cleaners

I know, it’s cold and wet and the last thing you’re thinking about is sunshine and summer-minded stuff like sunscreen. Still, did you know that sunscreen is a year-round issue? It’s true.

During the winter you are far less likely to get an actual sunburn, because the sun sits at a different angle. That said, the sun is still present as are radiating ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet exposure does occur even during the winter months and even when it’s cloudy. When you cut your exposure to these rays you in turn cut your risks for developing skin cancer.

Be sure to apply a safe non-toxic sunscreen to the most exposed areas of your body and your child’s body each day. Usually in winter this means the neck, face and ears.

• Best non-toxic sunscreen for 2011
• Less expensive and still mostly safe sunscreen choices
• What the…! Less toxic sunscreen can cost more than an eco-friendly car

Image by shuallyo via sxc.

We’ve been discussing healthy food and lifestyle choices this year and now it’s time to put some of this knowledge into action. If you need (or want) to make your meals greener and healthier for the long haul, here are some easy ways your entire family can make it happen.

Image by Flickr User eyeliam

1. Know your strengths and weaknesses

Sit down and make a list of your family’s general food and meal strengths, weaknesses and wishes. It doesn’t have to be a long list. Focus on the biggies. For example, my list would say “I have a picky eater in the house (my son), but he does eat veggies like a champ. I’m a good baker but not so great when it comes to cooking. Plus, I hate grocery shopping and want to cook stuff that’s fast, but still healthy.”

What I might gather from this list is that I need to plan fast meals, do all my shopping once a week, not every night and I should probably look into a good cookbook or two so I can become a better cook. Oh, and I need to consider meals that my overly picky son will like. This list isn’t meant to be major goals you have to work on. The list is just there to get you thinking about food and how it affects your household. For instance, if you tend to cook in the microwave only, and aren’t willing to budge, it’s fine to try and plan healthy meals that can go in the microwave.

In general, a basic list like this means you acknowledge and maybe even embrace your food strengths and weaknesses, so that your attempts to remake your meals is with you, not against you.

• Basic healthy actions you should take as a parent

2. Get some quick portion-size education

If you suspect that portion sizes are out of control at your house, it’ll require a bit of education. See the following for some basic food portion primers:

• Food smarts for kids
• Guidelines for kid portion sizes
• Proper adult-sized food portions

Next, if you don’t have any, get some basic measuring cups and keep them handy. Until you can eyeball proper portions, measuring cups are some of the best friends you can have and may mean the difference between a proper 120 calorie bowl of cereal and a 300 calorie bowl. Use those measuring cups to measure out serving sizes that are recommended in the links above. One more tip – use smaller dishes, as it will help you naturally serve up smaller, more appropriate sizes.

Image by Dor Sela

3. Get lovable with veggies and fruits

In many households, families focus on the main dish the most, which, in America, tends to be some sort of meat or often pasta. Paying more attention to how you cook and serve vegetables and fruits, means your family is more likely to eat them up. If you’re not sure how much love to give veggies and fruits, consider that experts say at least half your plate at meals should be made up of veggies and fruits. I’d say that’s a decent amount of love required.

To improve veggies and fruits, serve the freshest produce you can or on busy days go with frozen, not canned (ick). Frozen are best after fresh and have just as many nutrients. Steam, don’t boil. You can even serve raw veggies, which is super fast – plain or with a low-fat dip. Lastly get a great veggie cookbook and see what looks awesome – in fact, put kids in charge of choosing the veggies and fruits and if necessary cooking them. My son always eats his own cooking more than mine. Oh, and don’t forget, you can serve fruit as dessert.

4. Go organic

You might think I’m nuts to say, “Hey remake your meals” AND “Go organic too!” Doesn’t that sound like a lot of work?

Here’s the catch, going organic can help you eat healthier naturally. Organic food tends to be more expensive, thus requiring you to think about each purchase. Really thinking about the food you buy is a key step to healthier eating. Plus, with organic food costing what it does, you’ll be more inclined to spend the money you have on whole, fresh foods rather than junk.

• Go organic without going insane
• How to afford organic food

As you go organic, work on discussing organics with the kids too. This is a great way to work green eating conversations into your family’s life.

• One healthy organic meal that’s under $2 per person

5. Eat less meat

Eating less meat lowers your carbon footprint and in many cases is healthier, allowing you to cut fat and calories easily. Going meatless more often isn’t as painful as you might think and bonus, you’ll save tons of money. Meat is expensive! Start with meatless Monday and work up to more meatless meals from there.

• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food
• 8 Meatless Dishes for Meat-n-Taters Lovers

6. Institute recipe hour

Once a week, sit down with the family and look through cookbooks, cooking magazines, the web, what have you, and make a semi-solid list of healthy meals and recipes you’d like to try during the week. Do this before you go grocery shopping. If you already have a stocked pantry, head to All Recipes and do an ingredient search, which can show you various ideas for what you have on hand.

Knowing ahead of time what you’ll be eating during the week can cut down on your mealtime stress level, save you money and stops you from eating fast food or junk just because it’s quicker.

Image by BlueOrange Studio

7. Shop less

Daily shopping for groceries encourages impulse buys, overspending and can make you so insane that you buy the first quick (and maybe not healthy) thing you see. I personally HATE shopping, even grocery shopping, so I make it a goal to go only on big shopping trips twice a month, where I stock up on dry goods and such, plus once a week to restock stuff like fresh veggies. Four shopping trips a month is a heck of a lot better than daily trips to the store.

Also this requires I plan healthy meals in advance, to a point. I’m not crazed about it, but we do plan a general menu for the week.

8. Cook together

Some kids really like to help out in the kitchen, and others don’t, but no matter what, your child should be involved, at least somewhat in meal planning, prep and cooking. Even little kids can shred spinach or lettuce, mix batter or scrub potatoes. With all kids, this gives you a chance to talk about why you cook how you do – i.e. why olive oil is a better choice than butter or how come you’re steaming, not boiling veggies.

Cooking is a skill your child will need as an adult, so it’s smart to start getting your child involved early. My own son isn’t that into cooking. I still keep him involved though. He helps to plan meals, sets the table or I’ll have him sit and talk to me while I cook. Once in a while he’ll even brave his way into the kitchen and cook something.

Image by Flickr User tiarescott

9. Eat together at the table

Research shows that eating together, as a family not only makes for more well adjusted kids but encourages healthy eating habits. Kids get enough screen time as it is, they don’t need to watch TV while eating. Plus screen time mixed with eating means you’re less likely to pay attention to normal hunger cues, meaning you may keep eating once you’re full.

Eating at the table helps you pay better attention to your child’s eating habits too. Such as you’ll notice if he’s loading up on unhealthy food toppings, taking three servings or skipping his veggies nightly. In turn, this gives you a chance to discuss healthy eating habits, along with the not so healthy ones. Eating at the table is also fun. If you’re not sure how to talk to your kids, start with high-low. We do it every night. Everyone says the best part and worst part of their day, which usually results in more conversation.

On top of eating together, ban phones, books, electronics and other distractions at mealtime.

10. Be honest about food issues

The biggest focus of my childhood obesity and healthy living series is that families need to talk. Without open and honest conversations about food, calories, weight and so on, kids will never learn to make healthy choices.

As noted before, talking about food is very hard for many parents, with most parents claiming it’s easier to discuss drugs and sex than food with a child. If you’ve got issues with food topics, get over it. You need to use mealtime to set a good example. If your child is loading up on 1,000 calories of tarter sauce, and you just ignore it, or sit and say, “That’s okay” you’re not helping your child. You need to speak up when you see unhealthy habits. Not in a mean way, but in a, “There’s a healthier way to eat” way.

Encourage even picky eaters to try a little of everything. Talk about foods your child likes and doesn’t. Mention why you made the healthier low-calorie fish over the fatty hamburger. These are issues kids can handle, and they should be allowed to handle them too, so they can grow up and make healthy choices for a lifetime.

• Common pitfalls parents fall into with kids and food

Supposedly, school lunches are going to be getting a healthy makeover. At least, that’s the rumor circulating around first lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Also rumored is that the first lady is running into some problems because last year congress blocked the Agriculture Department from making healthy changes such as limiting french fries and pizzas. Also, the new rules will costs states some cash, when really states have little to spare. In fact, the new standards are expected to cost $3.2 billion over the next five years.

This is the very first time in 15 years that the USDA is making and major changes to school meals.In any case, a little change is better than no change at all, although I won’t believe it’s happening until I hear more and see better school lunches in action.

The new final rule standards were just released today. Key points include…

• Offering both fruits and vegetables every day of the week
• Increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods.
• Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties.
• Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size.
• Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

Check out a sample lunch menu (pdf) with a before and after comparison. In honor of the changes, let’s take a look back at some past Growing a Green Family school lunch posts:

What’s wrong with school lunches

• The Massive Disgusting School Lunch Issue
• I think the USA CAN afford healthy school lunches
• What’s the big deal about school lunch waste
• How to audit your school cafeteria

Pack your own:

• 10 easy steps to a packed waste-free school lunch
• Healthy and green school lunch ideas
• More than 90 percent of packed lunches susceptible to foodborne illness
• PlanetBox Complete Reusable Lunch Kit Review
• DIY Green Project: Make a reusable waste-free lunch kit!

Image via USDAgov

I’m getting pretty sick of the cold winter, so I’ve decided to look ahead a bit to summer. You can too with this fun garden project for the kids and you to grow together. Not only is this plan the perfect introduction to gardening for kids, but it can be grown on a small plot or even in pots.

Read on to plan an adorable and tasty pizza garden.

Easy pizza plants to grow include sweet basil, red onions or white onions, parsley and oregano. More challenging garden plants, depending on your skill level, include bell peppers, roma tomatoes and mushrooms (from a kit – not in your garden unless you’re going fancy).

Keep in mind that garlic, grown from bulbs, in your pizza garden, may or may not be doable, depending on where you live. For example, in Oregon we grow garlic in the fall (normally), so you wouldn’t be planting your garlic at the same time as the rest of your garden. Also, many types of garlic do not fare well when planted in the spring. Still, this is a longer conversation then we have time for. To learn more about garlic in your area, contact your local Extension Service Office.

Think creatively. Beyond the cheese of course, you really can grow anything you’d like for your pizza – spinach, artichoke, marjoram, broccoli and so on.

Planning and plotting:

After choosing plant types, you and your child can choose seeds. Go 100% organic. Why garden with pesticides? Seeds of Change offers a great selection of organic seeds and plants.

If you’re growing in a small plot, use garden twine or hemp to scale off a small round area and also scale off “slices.” Let your child create signs for each plot. For a fun, real crust effect, mark off a larger, second rim around your circle plot and add an easy to grow crust such as chives.

If you’re growing in pots, you’re more limited as to veggies for your pizza. For example, I’ve grown tomatoes outside but can’t for the life of me grow them in pots. Many can, just not me, so feel free to give it a whirl. Mushrooms grown with a kit, all kinds of herbs, onions and even bell peppers can be grown in containers on a sunny balcony. If you do grow in pots, kids might enjoy decorating them with “pizza” designs.

Once your pizza garden grows, use the harvested plants to make your own homemade organic pizza.

Organic gardening help:

• Growing indoor mushrooms
• Growing asparagus
• The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs is one of my fave herb books. It’s hard to find though (it’s older) so check out this guide too
• Tips for awesome tomatoes or quick tips for container tomatoes. I’d look into a book though for more in-depth info… maybe The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible
• If growing in pots check out Life on the Balcony or read some basic tips
• For overall advice, check out Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, which offers general tips and tricks or for more in-depth info look at Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

Lead Image © Roadmaxx

If you’re trying to cook healthier and serve your kids the correct food portions, something to watch out for are toppings, sauces and other add-ons.

Excessive toppings and sauces can turn an average healthy meal into a nightmare meal.

In many cases, parents allow their kids to dish up their own sauces and toppings, without discussing health cons, thus, kids are getting way more calories in a day then they should.

Cream cheese on a bagel can add up the calories quickly. Try a lighter spread then top it off with fruit.

5 average kid meal ruined by toppings

MEAL 1: 2 average pieces of fish, scoop of long grain rice, steamed mixed veggies and apple and orange slices = 434 calories

+ A normal size serving of tarter sauce (which is considered 2 tablespoons) = 544 calories
+ 9 servings of tarter sauce = 1,424 calories

MEAL 2: 1 bean burrito (with beans, 1/3 cup of 2% cheese, tortilla), 1/2 cup of peas, fruit on the side = 482 calories

+ 1/4 cup sour cream = 601 calories
+ 1/2 cup of sour cream = 720 calories

MEAL 3: 2 slices of cheese pizza, big bowl of veggie salad plus ranch (1 tablespoon) and fruit 390 = 469 calories

+ 6 tablespoons of ranch = 907 calories

MEAL 4: 1/2 breast of baked chicken, 1/2 cup broccoli, normal sized cornmeal muffin and fruit = 465 calories

+ 1/2 cup of processed cheese sauce on the broccoli = 865 calories

MEAL 5: Small baked potato with tablespoon butter, 1 piece of white fish, cup of steamed veggies and fruit = 451 calories

+ 2 more servings of butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, 3 servings of tarter sauce = 1,104 calories

You may as well serve fast food

The average child or teen in the United States needs about 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day. None of the meals above that include massive additions of toppings, fits into a healthy kid calorie range, unless you’re seriously skimping on breakfast, lunch and snacks (which you shouldn’t).

In almost of these situations, you’d be better off calorie-wise, simply buying your kid a Happy Meal (860 calories). Plus, while it’s not more expensive to eat healthy in general, in the case of the meals above, fish and organic chicken can be expensive unless you find a killer sale. So money wise, you’d also be better off with the cheap Happy Meal.

Beyond calories, another problem with the toppings above – tarter sauce, sour cream, ranch, cheese sauce and so on, is that these toppings get almost 100% of their calories from fat. Basically, you’re just advocating for pure fat when you allow your kid to eat this way.

What to do?

You’ve got a few choices here. It’ll really depend on how you’ve raised your child thus far.

Use fruit, not sugar to top off cereal - Image by blackcat79 via sxc.

Situation one – you’re raising a healthy eater from birth

Role model healthy topping portion sizes for your child when he’s young. No one is saying that you should cut toppings entirely. However, there’s a healthy way to eat them and an unhealthy way to eat them. With young children, it’s best to place the toppings on their food for them, so they can get an idea of what’s healthy and what’s not.

Do not add needless toppings, such as sugar to cereal or fruit ever. Kids should be able to eat a basic food like cereal or fruit without an added sweetener.

Also, before you even add toppings, make sure it’s necessary. Not all foods need toppings. If you raise your child on burritos that are sour-cream-free, and potatoes with light butter or no butter at all, you may be surprised that he’ll simply eat his food without a topping. Kids develop tastes for fatty toppings, they’re not born with a taste for them.

Two – you’ve got an older child or teen who has been raised with toppings galore

Here you’ve got two choices. You can get rid of toppings entirely. I.e don’t keep tarter sauce in your house. I actually hate this plan because kids, once grown will run into toppings and they should know how to use them properly. It’s lame to pretend toppings don’t exist. Secondly it’s not fair to people in the household who use toppings correctly. Banning food, is not, in my opinion, ever a realistic or useful plan.

A better choice is to start changing everyone’s habits. When you serve foods that kids are used to eating with toppings, don’t add the topping right away, see if your child will eat the food without. If your child asks for a topping, say ranch, serve him up a proper amount and serve yourself one too, saying, “This is how much a real serving of salad dressing is.” It’s up to you if you discuss calories or not and fat or not – some kids can handle this conversation in little bits, some can’t. If your child gets defensive saying you didn’t give him enough, point out that the ENTIRE family is attempting to eat healthier and you’d like everyone involved.

Some research says you shouldn’t police food, especially if you’ve allowed your child to eat whatever he wants so far in life. However, I’m not sure what I think about this. Sure, it’s frustrating and hard to have to change habits now, but in my opinion, it’s better to change habits now than to have your child’s belly fat get out of control or have your kid develop diabetes. I guess it’s up to you.

Little things you can do

• Buy alternative toppings. Salsa, for example, is a healthier topping than sour cream. Lemon plus a little sugar in ice tea is better than a ton of sugar alone. Italian dressing can be a better salad dressing choice than ranch. BBQ sauce is low fat, low calorie and works well with many foods.

• Don’t dress up foods just because. Adding cheese to veggies or even butter should be considered a very once in a while event vs. an every evening sort of deal.

• Spice and sweeten up foods with herbs, spices and fruit, not toppings.

• Learn to be a better cook. Often I’ve seen people add toppings to make food taste better. If you cook well in the first place, toppings become less necessary.

• Role model, role model, role model – there’s no way to emphasize this enough. If you load on toppings it’s totally unfair and confusing for a kid if you limit their toppings.

• Don’t keep toppings on the table, such as butter, dressing or sugar.

• Plan meals that don’t need toppings, or plan meals that need less calorie-dense toppings.

• Use less toppings slowly. For example, if your child insists on 9 tablespoons of tarter sauce, suggest they add just six. The next time you serve fish, bring it down more, to maybe three tablespoons. Eventually, hopefully, they’ll develop a taste for the food you’re serving vs. the topping.

Lead image via Flickr User ozmafan

As a parent, your child’s health is your responsibility. As such, it’s your job to encourage healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Of course, you can do a lot of good in this area, but at the very least try to make sure you do the following…

Know your child’s weight

If you can’t tell me your child’s weight or BMI right now, then you have no idea where your child stands health-wise. While food issues aren’t all about the scale, those numbers do matter. I’m not talking about making wild guesses in the ballpark either. And, yes, I mean you should know your kid’s weight from babyhood through the teens years.

Talk about food and related health issues

Food portions, healthy vs. less healthy choices, calories and all the other food issues you can imagine shouldn’t be taboo. Your child has a right to know about food issues and it’s your responsibility to discuss said issues with him, ongoing, the entire time he lives in your home.

As I’ve noted before, weight is one aspect of health, but issues related to excessive weight aren’t all you should be discussing with your child. Your child needs to understand that thin, of course, doesn’t mean healthy. Many people who are at a healthy weight still make poor food choices or don’t get enough exercise. Your child should know that it’s not healthy to sit inactive all day long. Your child also needs to realizes that exercise without portion control also isn’t as useful and no matter how healthy your food is, when it’s eaten in excess, that food becomes less healthy. Obviously, exercise and being active, hold many other benefits far beyond maintaining a healthy weight as well. You have to deliver the whole conversation package to your child. Not simply bits and pieces.

You need to let your child know that weight, calories, exercise, food choices and so on, all combine to create a healthy lifestyle. Don’t just assume your child knows about healthy food because she exercises or knows about exercise because she’s thin. No matter if your child is overweight, skinny or right on target – food and health issues need to be discussed.

Serve three meals a day and snacks

I know parents who leave kids to fend for themselves food-wise, but you shouldn’t. Even if you talk about food, young kids still need help figuring out meals. I know teens and even younger kids who skip both breakfast and lunch daily, making up the difference with chips and other less healthy food, simply because no one is there encouraging them to eat.

I get that not all parents can be around their child for all three meals. I’m not around my own child all day either – Cedar eats lunch at school and stays at his dad’s on some weekends. However, I do send Cedar to school with a healthy lunch I know he’ll eat and I make sure I know what he’s eating at his dad’s house. At times when everything is nuts, or I have an appointment, I make sure to leave a healthy meal ready for him.

Be your child’s food advocate

In a world of school lunches and separated or divorced families, it’s hard to always stay on top of what your child is eating. Guess what though, that’s your job as a parent. If your child splits his time between two households, and the other parent feeds him high calorie fast food, huge portions, or doesn’t encourage exercise, it’s your job to advocate for your child. Even if what you say doesn’t seem to affect the other parent’s choices at first, keep talking about it. Your child’s health, even when he’s not with you, is your concern.

With this in mind, you should also be aware of what your child is eating at school. Find out what schools are serving and if you don’t like it, send a packed lunch.

Address denial

One of the biggest hurdles parents have is denial about their child’s weight. If your child is overweight or too skinny or never exercises you do need to address it, not ignore it. I’ve met kids who are larger than their own parents are, kids with huge amounts of belly fat and even kids where someone else has said, “They weigh too much” such as a doctor, yet the parents just keep on saying, “My kids are just fine… they’re in no way overweight.” That’s denial.

Parents of underweight children or kids who never exercise may have some of the same denial issues. And while denial may be easier for everyone, it’s not healthy for your child.

Deal with your own food issues

Some parents allow their own food issues to affect their kids. If you have your own food issues, deal with them, or at the very least, don’t push them on your child. I was raised in a home where weight mattered more than food choices or exercise. I know it affected me and I had to work hard to deal with it so that I wouldn’t push my past problems onto my son.

I talk about food with my son, but I try to make it clear that food issues involve a wide range of topics, from food choices to activity to portions and so on. I don’t make it all about weight, how my mom did for me. If you’re upset by past food issues, it can affect your parenting, so addressing these issues is important.