Hide the chocolate milk behind the plain milk. Get those apples and oranges out of stainless steel bins and into pretty baskets. Cash-only for desserts.
These subtle moves can entice kids to make healthier choices in school lunch lines, studies show. Food and restaurant marketers have long used similar tricks. Now the government wants in on the act.
Read more: School cafeterias to try psychology in lunch line
Restaurants throughout the country are feeling the sting of the slow economy, just like you. In order to improve their bottom line and get families to eat out more often, many have initiated programs where kids eat free with the purchase of adult entrees. National chains, such as Bennigan’s, TGI Friday’s, and IHOP are promoting these deals, and local mom-and-pop restaurants are starting to do the same.
Read more here: 14 Places Kids Eat Free
Encouraging healthy eating can feel like a big task in a world that glorifies candy, chocolate and chips over foods that are healthy and will help your kids grow up strong. Luckily, kids look up to their parents, so you can help to guide them in the choices they make. “Parents have to be good role models,” says Dr. Brian McCrindle, Foundation spokesperson and cardiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “Try to incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal – including breakfast. Also, limit processed foods and have healthy meals and snacks planned for your kids as well as yourself.” He says it’s better to try to set the example of “do as I do,” and not the more common “do as I say.”
Read more: 10 cool nutrition tips for your kids
