Stanway Health

Fast food has a lot of appeal for kids, from friendly spokesmen to indoor play areas and toys included in meals. Given this, it should be of no surprise that nearly one-third of all American children are overweight with 15 percent being obese.

Is it possible to fight off fast food and entice kids to eat healthy? Some health advocates claim the key is to present healthy foods in ways that children find fun and appealing.

Following are tips for presenting healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains in fun ways for kids:

Begin healthy habits early. Babies who start out eating healthy foods grow into adults with healthy eating habits. Provide your baby with homemade food instead of commercially prepared foods that are often starchy, sugary or full of fillers. Try pureeing fruits and vegetables with a little water in a blender so they retain nutrients and fiber.

Make homemade smoothies. Smoothies are colorful which make them score high on the fun factor. But, smoothies purchased from ice cream shops or grocery stores often contain excessive sugar from processed fruit syrups as well as preservatives. Try making smoothies at home with whole fruits and your own selection of healthy ingredients such as yogurt. Letting the kids help prepare the smoothie ingredients adds more fun to the equation. Have fun experimenting with different food combinations. For those with an anti-veggie toddler, try slipping small amounts of squash or carrots into the smoothie.

Try homemade ice cream. Avoid the high fat and sugar-laden buckets of ice cream sold in the stores and create your own homemade concoctions. Have the kids help research fun ice cream recipes online.

Make homemade bread. Kick out the white bread and try grinding up whole grain flour with other ingredients such as cranberries, zucchini, pumpkin and carrots.

Since kids often think things taste better when they prepare it themselves, have them help prepare nutritious homemade meals and snacks to encourage healthy eating habits.