YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Winter 2015) | Page 5

plate; I’ve spent enough time undoing
that bad habit in adults! I also suggest
you make veggies an integral part of the
meal rather than just a side event. They
may well pick them out, but eventually
they’ll probably try them.
Encourage your child to try vegetables
(have them pick them up, smell them,
feel them), but don’t turn dinner into an
argument. Food should be enjoyable,
not a battleground.

glass limit, but do your best to reign it
in. I try to drink as much water
throughout the night as I can. The next
day, again, drink plenty of water to
ensure you are properly hydrated.

Should I say “goodbye” to
bread and potatoes?
The quick answer: no. I don’t
believe we should eliminate any
one ‘real’ food – it’s too unrealistic to
maintain for the long term. Besides, we
have been eating bread and potatoes for
thousands of years and we have only
gotten fat in the last few decades. So can
we really blame these traditional foods?
Instead, my advice is focused around
quality and quantity. When it comes to
choosing bread, pick a dark, nutty loaf
made from wholegrains, rather than a
processed white loaf. Instead of eating
four slices, eat two and load it up with
healthy fats, lean protein and greens or
other veggies. Grainy breads are a
terrific source of fibre and can help you
to eat less later on. The bottom line is,
people who eat wholegrains tend to be
leaner and have a lower risk of type 2
diabetes and other chronic disease.
Let’s not put them in the same basket
as those highly refined, modern
carb-rich foods.
As for potatoes, you can quickly
enhance their nutritional value by
baking or boiling them with their skin
on. You can combine your white
roasted potatoes with some sweet
potato and pumpkin. If you have to

make mash (the perfect
accompaniment for some meals!) then
keep an eye on your portion size or try
mixing it with other veggies. Personally,
I love a white veggie mix of potato,
cauliflower and parsnip, with a splash
of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of
black pepper. Another idea is to cook
and cool potatoes, eating them cold in
a potato salad (minus the lashings of
commercial mayo!) or simply tossed
through a tuna nicoise. This can result
in some of the carbohydrate being
converted to resistant starch, a
lowering of the glycaemic load, and an
increase in the fibre. Win-win-win!

How do I get my kids to
eat more veggies?
This old chestnut! As a mother
to two boys I know how hard it
is to get kids to eat (and enjoy) veggies.
My advice here is just to keep offering
them – it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
You’re creating habits to last a lifetime,
not just today. So, even if they don’t eat
everything you put in front of them,
you’re teaching them what a healthy,
balanced meal looks like so they
know what they should strive to eat.

Depending on your child’s age, make
sure you tell your kids about the food
they’re eating and explain how it’s good
for them. Look up the information
together if your child is older and needs
more details. Remem