Kira and Bill Van Ittersum are talking in this podcast about healthy snack foods for the entire family. They are all too aware of how important it is to have nutritious snacks on hand, because, not only are they attempting to keep waist expansion to a minimum, but they also often care for their grandchildren, and want them to develop healthy eating habits. That’s why they have healthy foods on hand that are easy to prepare and great tasting too. Kira says, “We don’t buy cookies, cakes, or other sugar-laden, highly-refined and processed foods. You won’t find potato chips, Cheetos, or sugary cereals in our cupboards either. We don’t keep any of those foods around because they aren’t healthy for anybody—young or old. WNor will you find sugary fruit juices or pop. We drink water and green tea, or, with the kids help, we’ll blend up one of their all time favorites, a fruit and veggie smoothie.â€

 So, on the whole, what does the Van Ittersum family snack on these days? “We eat whole foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grain products, some cheeses and plain yogurt, eggs, nuts, nut butters and hummus. We don’t eat out at fast food places much at all these days. Our diet consists mostly of basic home cooking, baked or stir fried dishes, and also home baked, gluten-free breads. The kids love to help out in the kitchen, and they learn about what is best to eat, and how to make many of their favorite foods from scratch. Thankfully, the schools they attend are really onboard with the healthier snack foods, too. Not only is the school lunchroom a healthier place, their teachers won’t allow any junk food or sugary snacks in their classrooms either.â€

 Kira says, “We use a lot of good quality coconut oil for cooking and baking, and we use olive oil for salads, so we even dodge a lot of processed oils and dressings. I even blend coconut oil half-and-half with butter to use as a spread on toast or cooked vegetables. We don’t eat white or red potatoes much anymore, either. We tend to use sweet potatoes, which our grandkids absolutely love! My cholesterol is down 45 points since I started doing coconut oil, and I also eat eggs practically every day. I’m not on any meds, don’t have high blood pressure, and I feel great. Since I’ve learned to eat healthier in the last few years, I’ve also dropped some of my excess weight. That’s an ongoing process, and I’m okay with it, because I feel good these days and I’m making progress. I used to be headachy and cranky practically every day when I ate sugar, drank pop, used refined and processed ingredients, and bad oils. I think I ate too much, because my body was starving for nutrients. Despite all of the food I ate, I was really malnourished. Limiting my diet to mostly wholesome food has made a huge difference. I can notice right away when the kids have sugar, like the rare hot chocolate, or even too many homemade cookies, also a rare occurrence. We’ve learned to really limit those kinds of treats in our home.â€

Links:
Seinfeld, Jessica Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food William Morrow; Spiral Edition (October 14, 2008)