I live in the south...but I want to eat healthy

I don't have a suggestiong - sorry! I just wanted to commend you on your dedication to get the whole family healthy. No matter how difficult it will be, hang in there!!!

Your children shouldn't need to be "introduced" to healthy eating, that should be in place from birth. Avoid take out and fast food then you avoid the deep fried buttery mess :flowerforyou:

I live in the south too, and I just cook for myself, problem solved. When I go out to eat I order veggies instead of fries, and find there's no real reason to strut into a restaurant that specializes in fried chicken and okra, there are so many other wonderful options. I work on portion sizing also, have it just be reasonable about it. As far as the kids go, is it time to teach them a healthy relationship with food? My 3 yo eats what is given him (in 3 yo portions), if he doesn't eat it then he doesn't get anything else until the next meal when it's reheated and served again. Just because he wants the hotdogs instead of the minestrone doesn't mean that he's getting the hotdogs instead of the minestrone.

you have one of the best resources for free advise and recipes at the end of your fingertips. The internet is full of ideas....make your healthy foods fun...that way your kids learn to enjoy healthy foods. Make whole wheat pita pizzas for them and have them pick and choose their toppings. Have some varieties of vegetables and leaner meats. Good luck, Jerry

Not to sound rude or anything, but I've lived in the south my entire life and it's not like they don't sell healthy food here. Sure, my mom's fried chicken is the BEST ON THE PLANET (not even up for debate, it really is), but it's not like that's ever been our only option, food wise. Fruits, veggies, lean meats (if y'all are meat eaters), whole grains, minimal processed foods, step away from the deep fryer...that's really all there is to it.

With my son, since day 1 he's been offered fresh fruit and veggies as a snack. Of course, he's 5 now and every 5 year old knows the joy of cookies, chips, french fries etc...but he would also devour a carton of strawberries and a bunch of bananas before reaching for the junk food, because it's always been the only available option. Get the junk out of the house, and make nutritious snacks and meals the only option (with the occasional treat, of course---I'm not a monster lol) and those kids will pick up healthy habits to last them a lifetime. Get outside with the kids--when it's not a thousand degrees out--and do something active as a family, make exercise part of their daily lives as well. Lead by example, mom!

ETA: If you're trying to think of new ways to get your kids eating fruits and veggies, that "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook is awesome! My son LOVES the stuff I've made from there. I also pull recipes from Clean Eating magazine and since I have a subscription to Runner's World, I always find a recipe or two in there to try.

Ahhh kids are tricky I have four myself
Really I did no cookbook, I changed how I cooked things there are healthier just as tasty ways to cook. Healthy stuff I introduced a little at a time, and eventually they adapt. Also keep in mind their kids, so you must teach healthy to them, but don't deny them of everything. It will require time and patience, but they will come around
Good luck!

The "SparkPeople CookBook: Love Your Food Lose The Weight" has LOTS of Healthy Recipe Make-Overs as well as Diet and Exercise Tips.
Also, I believe Jerry Seinfield's wife (Jessica?) had a cookbook out a few years ago where she incorporated pureed vegetables into her recipes to 'Trick' her kids into eating more Veggies.

{edited to Add: I am from Oklahoma so I feel your PAIN. Yes, they DO sell lots of Great Fresh Food here, but we tend to Fry It and Cover it in Gravy!}

I live in SC, so I hear you on the bad, bad foods! Everything slathered in butter, BBQ, cooked in bacon fat, or fried (I mean fat back = fried fat. Come ON!!!)! I also try to avoid fast foods, but damn if Rush's isn't awesome! I have a garden in my yard, and you with our seasons, you can grow stuff almost all year (gardening is also great exercise) and it tastes so much better fresh from my yard. This is also a good way to get the kids involved, that and teaching them to cook. Another good resource is Eating Well, it is a magazine that focuses on fresh and seasonal. I love it because you don't have to go to the frou frou food store to make their recipes! As far as your picky eaters...I don't give mine a choice. You eat what I am making, or you eat an apple, those are your only choices. My 16 yo used to be "picky", but once I finished grad school and was home to actually cook, she quickly realized it was eat what you may not like, or starve. She now eats EVERYTHING...even took sushi to school for lunch. I was so proud

If you're looking for a cookbook, I'd try Cookinglight's Essential Dinner Tonight. You can buy it on amazon for $18 - great recipes that are healthy, good for kids, and don't taste like diet food.

I commend you for making the choice to get your whole family on the road to being healthy. I live in Georgia....born and raised. Fresh fruits and vegetables abound, since we have lots of farmers around. The key is to stay away from fast food places and the little "Mom & Pop" restaurants that have "Meat & 3" specials. Almost all of their meats are fried or smothered in some sort of gravy, and the 3 veggies are also either fried, smothered in something, or doused in salt. Sodium is a big problem in the south.
Also, don't drink the sweet tea. It's more like sugar water...with a little tea in it. (I know, that's blasphemy to Southerners, but it's the truth.
Try to find healthier alternatives to southern foods that you like. There's tons of websites with recipe makeovers. Good luck!

Mississippi girl here! I feel your pain! Lots of great suggestions already! My suggestion is for the picky eaters.... I worked at a daycare for several years and every Friday we did a cooking class... I found that children are much more inclined to eat something they were a part of making. It gives them ownership of the dish. I don't know the ages of the 2, so it may be harder with younger ones. We had ages 4 and up in our after-school program. Their favorite thing to do was crack eggs It can get a little messy at times but it is so much fun! Good Luck my dear!

I maintain that the notion that "healthy options are hard to find" and "everything is fried/coated in butter/sauce/topped with fatback" is BOGUS. Who is force-feeding you this stuff?

Take control of your food. You don't have to eat at Lizards Thicket, Cracker Barrel and Bojangles every meal. They have fresh vegetables at Piggly Wiggly, too.



*edited to admit that I am cranky and over-caffeinated today.

nothing wrong with butter.
fat is your friend.