Eating like kids is a good thing!

Remember how I visited that nutritionist that said I ate too many "kid" snacks? Well, guess what? I just found this article that says eating like a kid is good for you! Yes!!!! But before your brain starts telling you things like: "sweet! let's go get cotton candy then eat Butterfingers then have a HUGE soda and top it all off with sour patch kids!" let me explain :)

Many moms are so concerned over their children's eating habits they let their own slide (*cough cough* totally guilty). We are always telling our kids to finish their milk, eat their veggies and to lay off the junk. Don't you think we could really benefit from that advice ourselves? So, here's what the article said about healthy kid habits and why we should eat like our kids do:

1. Eating veggies.  A recent government survey says adults only get 25% of the recommended 5 (yes, 5) daily servings. 
2. Drinking milk (it says it can even be chocolate milk!) Gotta get that calcium in, as we age (and we ALL do unfortunately) we need it even more.
3. A quick bedtime snack (that's not TOO big). Apparently I'm not the only one out there who sees the time after the kids go to bed as "relax and reward" time. Yes, that ice cream may be amazing tonight...but in a few months when all those bowls have added up to tighter pants....well, you get the idea. The article says having a quick snack then brushing, flossing and turning off the light to the kitchen (to signal "kitchen closed" hahahaha) should do the trick when it comes to nightime snacking.
4. A limit on sweet treats....do I really need to go into this one? We all know it, doing it is the hard part.
5. Sitting down for meals. (SO guilty of this one!!) How many times during a meal do I tell my 2 year old to sit down? And the whole time I'm walking around in the kitchen nibbling on things as I go.....yeah, great example there Em! Let's not forget the lunches while standing over the sink and checking email on your phone and emptying the dishwasher all at the same time...Apparently you can't taste your food when you're distracted, therefore you eat more and more often. Good to know.
6. No snacks right before dinner. You want your kids to have enough room to eat all the healthy things you've prepared for dinner, but in the meantime you're nibbling at every little thing in the kitchen as you prepare for this healthy meal....did you know the average bite is about 25 calories?! Holy cow that adds up, and fast!

 So, I still may have to nix all the "kids" snacks, but I think I may focus on eating more like a kid from now on. It's amazing what we can learn from ourselves...and a magazine article :)

Do you do anything with your kids that promotes a healthy lifestyle but find yourself not following your own advice? Wanna tell me all about it....please?

Thanks so much for stopping by! I love all your comments!!!