PROBLEM:  Children are eating too many unhealthy snacks and drinking too much soda.  On top of that, children just aren't exercising like their bodies need (this comes from a sedentary lifestyle of watching hours of television each week and playing even more hours of video games).

Granted, it isn't the best time of year to tell your children "Go outside and play," but you can certainly take control over what they are consuming.  (You ARE the parents, remember?!)

A 2001 study on behavioral intervention in overweight families concluded that INCREASING fruits and vegetables worked much better for weight loss than DECREASING high-fat and high-sugar food items.  That is such a fabulous way to look at eating right!  Focus on increasing the variety of tasty foods you are trying and lessen the focus of what you are "giving up".  

(Before going vegan, I never made fresh-fruit smoothies.  The closest I ever came to that was adding strawberry syrup to a glass of milk.  It is such a treat whipping a batch of smoothies up on weekend mornings with whatever fresh fruit we have on hand.  Think INCREASE, not DECREASE!!!)

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that providing healthy snacks and school lunches is too time-consuming.  A little planning and prep work goes a long way.  Sunday evening, set aside time to chop some organic fruits and veggies for the week ahead.  Fill several Tupperware with carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, etc.

On school days, grab a serving of two or three of these, and your child's lunch is nearly done!  Add hummus, salad dressing, or a natural nut butter for dipping (peanut butter and almond butter are my favorites).

Instead of greasy potato chips, include pretzels or whole grain crackers.

For a dessert, make a pan of granola bars, or half a dozen fruit muffins.

Add a sandwich or other "entree" - and voila, your child is ready to head out the door!  And these suggestions go for afternoon and weekend snacks as well.  A really great snack bar recipe was created by Teresa Mattson, who agreed to let me share it with you.  Feel free to change up the ingredients a little to suit your picky eater!  

Peanut Butter Paradise Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup earth balance margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
 
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
* Stir together the peanut butter, margarine, the brown sugar, corn syrup, agave nectar and the vanilla until smooth. Add all the other ingredients. Stir well.
* Press the mixture into 13 x 9 inch greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
* Cool on wire rack before cutting into bars.