While two recent cookbooks have popularized methods of sneaking extra vegetables into your child’s diet, Ellie Krieger is more upfront with her daughter. The Upper West Side mom and Food Network host recently took the Just One More for Healthy Living pledge. Krieger, a registered dietitian and author of Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life (Three Rivers Press), pledged to add ‘just one more’ daily serving of fruits and vegetables to her family’s meals.
Krieger, a native New Yorker, grew up in Bayside, and has a 6-year-old daughter, Isabelle. Her daughter, who loves carrots, attends public school, and Krieger admits that she can feel pressured to provide the perfect healthy lunch. But she adds that if you make your child’s lunch, you can easily add “just one more” vegetable or fruit, and she offers these tips:
—Aim to “Eat the Rainbow” at every meal. This is a fun way for kids to get the nutrition they need. Add fresh, green and red bell peppers to a tuna wrap or sandwich for added crunch and color.
—Instead of using jelly, add sliced, fresh fruit, like banana, apple or mango, to a peanut butter sandwich.
—Toss in a pre-packaged, individual serving of fresh-tasting fruit – peeled, sliced and ready-to-eat.
—Pack a couple of mini kebabs of low-fat cheese cubes, apples and grapes.
The healthy living program emphasizes simple steps, encouraging families to eat one more lean protein (like canned tuna) weekly, and to incorporate one more physical activity daily. The program is partnered with YMCAs around the country to get families more active.
The website, www.EatJustOneMore.com, offers recipes, health and wellness information, and a cool feature that lets you customize a nutritious pantry. You can also get coupons, and a pedometer for keeping track of your walking. Krieger maintains a blog on the site about her family’s commitment to the pledge. Other families who have also taken the Just One More pledge keep journals on the site.
