By Julie Samrick
With more food choices available to us than ever before, how do we make conscious and healthy daily decisions about what we put into our bodies? And how do we teach kids to do the same?
My family was recently introduced to the An Apple a Day Children’s Nutrition Tracker, invented by the brother and sister team of Dave Caggias and Lisa Caggias- Johnson. They’ve brought their passion for health and nutrition together in this fun and interactive tool that encourages kids ages 2-13 to make smart food choices on their own.
There are windows under various categories (fruit, vegetables, grains, treats, exercise, etc). As your children eat a serving under each category, they get to close a window. The goal is to close all of the windows by the end of the day, starting over the next day.
It’s been music to my ears to hear my kids rattle off what they should be eating and my older two have even started to make their own school lunches!
When my 3-year-old still had 2 vegetable windows open after dinner one night, my 8-year-old yelled, “Let’s give her 12 baby carrots!!” They memorized that 6 baby carrots is a serving and still remind me of that often 
I love how invested my kids have become in their own health- it’s because they can visually see what should go into a healthy day’s amount of food. We also love there is a treat category! They can actually see now why dessert after dinner isn’t necessary if they already had a cupcake at a birthday party.
See more about it here…
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What is your best tip for teaching good nutrition to kids?
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The contest will close at 8pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 28th. The nutrition tracker will be shipped anywhere in the United States. You may leave one comment every day, but if you have completed any of the additional entries, remind me in extra comments. Winner will be contacted and his/her first name will be posted after the contest closes.
CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of the nutrition tracker, Kristi H.!
I think teaching children where all food comes from. When growing a garden, reading labels and talking about how McDonalds makes their nuggets you let your child understand what they need to know to make informed decisions on what to eat. Recently my husband tried to take my children to McDonalds and they informed that they are not healthy and would like to eat something fresh and made from fresh stuff. That make me proud to know they were able to do that. All they needed was a little lesson on where things came from to make that choice.
Love that! I’ll bet you were so proud! Thanks Monica
I liked an apple a day , i voted, and im a follower on your facebook page plus im subscribed and like your truly insightful articles. To answer your question I have my 3 old girl, i tell her ” Its so good and yummy, You are going to grow I liked an big like the dinosaur.” I model good eating habbits and they tend to go along after a few tries.
The best thing I’ve found for teaching my kids about nutrition is having them help me in the garden and the kitchen. Things they would never eat from the store become exciting if they have picked them or if they have helped cook them. My three-yo ate spinach this week (which hasn’t been on his menu for a couple of years) because he picked the leaves, washed them, and after I chopped them, he added them to the recipe. You don’t have to have a farm, though, to have your kids help cook. It took me some effort to get out of my “get it done” approach to cooking, but once I relaxed a bit, it became a lot of fun to cook with the children.
That is a great tip, Nancy! I can just see your little one digging into the spinach. Love it!
I let them help choose things at the store from each category.
I tell my kids that eating fruits and vegetables is as important as wearing a helmet when bike riding and a seat belt in the car. It’s safety and prevention!
My husband takes the offensive approach and tells them that goos nutrition is like ammunition for our body to fight off illness. He tells them each bite is like loading their “guns” to fight the bad guys in our body.
Works like a charm with our boys!!
The visuals are a great tip, Lauren. Thanks for sharing
BRING NO JUNK FOOD INTO THE HOUSE
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Set a good example and the children will follow what you do.
A while ago. I read my 10 year old girls info about how specific vitamins and minerals help keep specific body parts healthy. They sometimes say things like,”well, this meal is good for my bones, teeth, eyes, and muscles.”
I did 3 of the 4 extras.
I’m Lisa, co-creator of the an apple a day Children’s Nutrition Tracker. Thank you for your comments! As parents, we are our children’s first and most influential teacher. As you all know from the comments I’m seeing here, children are “sponges” and really care about doing the right thing….and that includes eating well! When my daughters were toddlers, we started talking the way Lauren and Ann note in their comments – telling the girls that healthy food would help keep them healthy and which parts of the body the food was good for! It helps them make the connection between feeling good and eating right. Giving our children the gift of good nutrition, including the knowledge to make healthy choices, is not only one of the most important things that we do as mom or dad, but it truly is a gift that lasts a lifetime.
It has been very hard to teach nutrition to my 2 year old. We try to eat what he’d eat and force him to eat these same foods.
we all eat healthy foods . we just do mverno@roadrunner.com
i like on fb susan v mverno@roadrunner.com
my best tip is to only offer healthy foods at home
Let the kids help you in the kitchen.
I like An Apple A day on Facebook.
I voted on facebook for An Apple A Day.
Subscribed to the Kid focused newsletter.
I like Kid Focused on Facebook.
I like showing them at the grocery stores new fruits and then let them pick some out to try
vmkids3 at msn dot com
My best tip for teaching good nutrition to kids is to set a good example with my eating
I “Like” An Apple a Day Facebook page
I “Like” our Kid Focused Facebook page
my best tip is to set an example if you eat healthy they will be more likely to eat healthy
like you on facebook kathy pease
kathypease(at)gmail(dot)com
teach kids that nutritious food tastes good too!
To set a good example. If I do they usually do.
I’m an email subscriber.
THE BEST WAY IS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
try to limit sugary foods.
ALWAYS COOK NUTRITIONAL MEALS AND SNACKS ONLY ONCE A WEEK.
I’d have children take daily vitamins, drink water, exercise, go out and play, and eat their fruits and vegetables if I was a Mom.
would loe to have the food tracker to make life simpler and kinder both to parent/child. thanks sw