Quiz
1. You usually have the following foods on the table at breakfast:
- Fruit juice and one of the kids' favorite sugary cereals.
- Fresh fruit and a high-fiber cereal, plus whole grain toast.
- We don't eat breakfast.
2. Your favorite cooking methods are:
- Broiling, roasting, and baking.
- Microwaving—we eat a lot of frozen dinners.
- Frying or sautéing.
3. When you fry or sauté foods, you use:
- Butter.
- Vegetable oil (e.g., olive, canola, or safflower).
- Margarine or Crisco.
4. The dairy products your family consume the most include:
- Whole milk (for the youngest children), low-fat everything else for the rest of the family.
- We don't eat any dairy products.
- Every dairy product we eat is whole or full-fat—just as nature intended!
5. The soups your family love the best are:
- Anything creamy—cream of mushroom, lobster bisque, potato cheese.
- Soups with lots of meat and noodles.
- Homemade broth-based soups—chicken, onion, miso.
6. When you cook on the grill, you usually are having:
- Chicken thighs, swordfish, or tuna.
- Grilled vegetables and a lean steak.
- The Great All-American meal—hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken wings.
7. You like your grilled foods:
- Charred and smoky—that's the whole point of grilling!
- Marinated beforehand in a low-fat, acidic marinade.
- Thoroughly cooked—I want everything to be well-done.
8. Your kids will eat these vegetables:
- French fries and ketchup (the ketchup counts as tomatoes).
- Carrots and green beans—if they have lots of butter.
- They eat all the vegetables I put on their plates, because I use lots of herbs, spices, and sneaky tricks!
9. On salads, you usually have:
- A non-fat dressing.
- A creamy dressing like Ranch or blue cheese.
- Just a little vinaigrette, made with extra virgin olive oil.
10. The beverage you usually serve at meals is:
- Soda.
- Fruit juice.
- Milk for the kids, water for the parents.
11. Your desserts are usually:
- Sugar-free popsicles.
- The kids' favorites every night—ice cream, cake, pie, or brownies.
- Fresh fruit, especially berries in season.
12. For snacks, you always keep the following on hand:
- Pretzels and microwave popcorn.
- Nuts such as almonds and walnuts, raisins, and fresh fruit.
- Potato chips, cookies, and candy.
1. You usually have the following foods on the table at breakfast:
We don't eat breakfast.
2. Your favorite cooking methods are:
Frying or sautéing.
3. When you fry or sauté foods, you use:
Margarine or Crisco.
4. The dairy products your family consume the most include:
Every dairy product we eat is whole or full-fat—just as nature intended!
5. The soups your family love the best are:
Homemade broth-based soups—chicken, onion, miso.
6. When you cook on the grill, you usually are having:
The Great All-American meal—hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken wings.
7. You like your grilled foods:
Thoroughly cooked—I want everything to be well-done.
8. Your kids will eat these vegetables:
They eat all the vegetables I put on their plates, because I use lots of herbs, spices, and sneaky tricks!
9. On salads, you usually have:
Just a little vinaigrette, made with extra virgin olive oil.
10. The beverage you usually serve at meals is:
Milk for the kids, water for the parents.
11. Your desserts are usually:
Fresh fruit, especially berries in season.
12. For snacks, you always keep the following on hand:
Potato chips, cookies, and candy.
Your meals would make a nutritionist smile. You are giving your family an advantage in healthy development when you limit unhealthy fats and make sure they eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. You should also limit their access to junk and sugary foods and soda, and use healthy cooking methods. Plus, every day should start with breakfast. Just be sure to let the kids have that hot fudge sundae every once in a while!
They don't get an A+ or an F, but your meals could be improved in the health department. Watch your family's consumption of sugar and cut back on fats—particularly the saturated fat found in dairy and meat products. Use healthier cooking methods whenever you can, and marinate foods before putting them on the grill (a low-fat, acidic marinade has been found to reduce the unhealthy compounds in grilled foods). Try to get your family to eat more fruits and vegetables, and choose healthier dressings, desserts, and beverages. Small changes translate into big benefits!
Once those unhealthy food habits become established, it's hard to get the family back on track. Start with small changes, to ease the transition. Go from full-fat dairy products to low-fat—you might get everyone to try nonfat dairy products later on. Cut back on frying and sautéing, and use low-fat dressings on salads. Serve less processed meat. Add an extra vegetable at each meal, or sneak cooked vegetables into recipes such as meatloaf. If your family wants dessert every night, make it fresh fruit a couple of times each week. Put limits on soda, candy, and high-fat or sugary snacks. Gradual changes can mean greater health for the whole family.