Today's guest blog comes from Kathy Gillen, a local Pittsburgh Mom who is passionate about wellness.  "Wellness is when my pants button easily and I have enough energy to draw big lines through today’s  checklist.  She is mom of four and also a wellness coach and nutritional instructor.  I'm passionate about helping families eat well.  I teach classes around the city and often the audience is moms with young children.  She blogs on her website  www.wellnessroadtrip.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Let me first say, I’ve been know to hide vegetables from my kids.   I shred zucchini into pasta sauce and chop kale into tacos, but I never deny the existence of vegetables.  If my kids ask, “What’s this green stuff?”  I tell them.  I want them to know they are eating vegetables.  They need to know vegetables are important.  Vegetables build cells and kick out free-radicals.  You body wants vegetables. Vegetables rock. 

 But Chef Boyardee wants you to think that telling your kids about vegetables is bad.  “Don’t, really, don’t tell”.  Check out this video:

 

 

  We’re more afraid to talk about vegetables with our kids than sex.  As parents we’ll all experience “The Talk” with our children, but when it comes to our kids’ health the most we seem to muster is, “Eat it, it’s healthy.”  We can do better.  We must do better. 

 Don’t be afraid of “the vegetable talk”.  Make time to really explain vegetables.  Tell your kids their cells, the bits and pieces that make them up, need vegetables to work right.  Over time if cells don’t get vegetables, they can start to break down.  They can’t fight disease and we end up sick. 

 Chef Boyardee doesn’t get it right.  Vegetables need to be exposed, exalted and made exciting.  I’d love to see some mega-food manufacturer telling kids, “Whaoo, check this out! This can is filled with food that will help you grow and feed your body what it wants.”  But, since profit, not our children’s health, is the goal of mega-food manufacturers, I expect to see that…um never.