QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

DISCLAIMER

The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only.

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QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have CHOSEN to take control of the food that your family is putting into their bodies.

Well Done!

Before you jump into your new Clean Eating lifestyle, please remember, everyone is

different.

Do what works for your family and don’t be too hard on yourself or your children. Maybe

you are only tweaking a few diet issues or perhaps, like our family, you need to make some big changes to your diet.

Any positive change you make, big or small, is a step closer to your goal. In the beginning, my goal was simply to get my children to eat their five a day of vegetables and fruit. That’s it! (And at the time, even this was a challenging goal for me).

Removing all processed; packaged; plastic foods from my families’ diet and replacing them with real, whole, clean foods is a continual work in progress.

Life often presents little challenges, but we work through them. This guide is a basic outline

on how to begin your family’s transition to Clean Eating.

I hope it makes your journey a little easier and reminds you that we are on this path

together.

Yours Sincerely,

www.cleaneatingwithkids.com

www.facebook.com/cleaneatingwithkids

www.pinterest.com/cleaneatingwithkids

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING?

So you’ve decided to start eating Clean but you don’t know where to begin? I know the feeling. Our family has been there.

The goal of Clean Eating is to eat food in its most natural state, or as close to it as

possible. Don’t let anyone kid you otherwise, it is that simple.

A Couple of things you need to know about Clean Eating:

It’s not a new idea or the ‘latest diet. There aren’t even any rules. It’s just the

way we are meant to eat. Some of us just lost our way a bit.

It’s about eating food as close to its Natural state as possible.

It’s about saying NO to processed foods, refined sugars and nasty additives.

It’s about Mindful eating and being aware of where our food comes from and

how it lands on our plate.

It’s about eating for health and helping the Earth at the same time.

Supermarkets popped up on the scene in the early 1900’s. Since then the race was on to stock the shelves with the cheapest, nastiest, profit generating products

possible.

Our children have been raised thinking that milk is made in a factory and fruit comes

in plastic wrappers with a toy on the side.

Clean Eating may feel a bit overwhelming at first, especially if you have a lot of

changes to make. Don’t over think it. Your goal is to prepare good, fresh foods that will keep your family healthy.

Whether you are aiming for 100% clean eating lifestyle, or just want to supplement a

meal a day. It’s is up to you. Do what works for your family.

Here are a few things we did when we began Clean Eating as a family. I hope it

helps you get your clean eating journey started with a bang.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

EASY STEPS TO GETTING STARTED WITH CLEAN EATING

With Kids

9

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

Now there are a couple of ways of doing this.

1. Finish what is in your pantry and gradually introduce new, clean, real food

products, whilst using up what you have OR ...

2. Go Cold Turkey. Clean out your pantry all in one go. If it’s not Real Food, then dump it or donate it. My theory is this: If it’s not in your house, then you can’t eat it.

NOTE: If a member of your family isn’t totally on board, then allocate them a spot in another cupboard to keep their stash. It avoids any issues with children wanting

what you don’t want them to eat. Don’t make it difficult for yourself.

Self Control is a Myth. PLAN AHEAD! Don’t keep food in the house that you don’t want your kids to eat.

As a parent, you are in control of the food you make available to them by having it

in your cupboard.

Remove all refined, sugar coated, packaged foods. Bag it all up, toss it or take it to a

food bank or homeless shelter. The kids do NOT need potato chips, sugary biscuits or

salted crackers.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

65% of your body is just plain old water. We need water. Every single day.

Getting your children to drink more water is easier than you think. Just stop buying

soda & cordial. Make sure it is no longer an option in your home. When your child is

thirsty; offer them water. Start early by putting water in their Sippy cups or bottle. Ditch

the juice today.

The Benefits of Drinking more Water.

Keeps your metabolism regular

Decreases food cravings

Helps burn fat in your body

Important in maintaining muscle tone

Increased energy levels

Clear skin as water helps the body flush toxins from the body and improves the

flow of blood to the skin.

Increases the production of new blood and muscle cells

Firmer skin as cells are not dehydrated.

Regular Bowel movements

Eliminates toxins in your body

Your lungs are moistened by water. Water helps you breathe. When you don’t drink enough water, your histamine levels increase. This can lead to allergies

and asthma.

PLUS $$ Save money by not needing to buy soda and other sugary drinks.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

When we first started eating whole foods, I would get into a cold sweat because I felt as if I had nothing to eat in the whole house. Now everything needed to be

prepared from scratch.

Meal Planning becomes a necessity when you start eating clean. Fresh, whole foods

have a use by date. Set up a weekly meal plan and make sure that those

ingredients are available when you need them. For years, I had the nightly “What

should I make for dinner issue”. I don’t know why I didn’t plan my meals before this.

I also recommend planning for two quick and easy meals in your meal plan. These

will be ‘Go to meals’ during the week. These are the meals that you can get on the

table in 10-15minutes flat during a hurricane (or less time than it would take to drive

through the closest takeaway outlet)

I am not by Nature a lover of all things cooking. I wish that I was, but I am not. If I can

avoid spending too much time over the stove, I’m all in. I do, however, love to eat so

I do appreciate good food. Luckily Clean Eating is not about serving up five star

meals so it suits the lazy chef in me. Once you get the hang of it, it is quite simple.

Just another reason to love it!

4 Resources to help you set up your Weekly Meal

Plan

1. Printable Meal Plan template

2. Printable Clean Eating shopping List

3. 12 Shopping Tricks for Clean Eating Families

4. 10 Tips for Eating Clean on a budget

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

GENERAL RULE:

If you don’t know what’s in it, don’t put it in your shopping basket.

Despite what everyone wants you to think, you do not need a degree in nutrition to

recognise whether something is real food or not. Start simple. Start with what you

know.

Try not to purchase foods that have more than 3-6 ingredients in the ingredient

list. And be sure you recognize each and every ingredient listed.

Avoid food where the ingredients contain chemicals or crazy numbers and

scientific sounding names.

Choose whole food like Fruit, Vegetables and grains.

Choose minimally processed foods like meat, dairy and wholegrain products

such as wholegrain pasta, bread, flour and rice.

Opt for Natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and raw sugars.

Supermarkets are noticing that more and more families are selecting real food

products and as a result they have started expanding their range of clean and

organic products.

As you get used to Clean Eating your knowledge on what’s a good choice will grow

naturally, but in the beginning – if you don’t know what’s in it, just don’t eat it.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

Make a list of all the dishes you currently COOK and make ‘clean’ versions of these.

When you are making the change from processed food lifestyle to your new, clean,

real food lifestyle – don’t complicate it. Start basic and make a clean, whole food

version of things your family already eats. Clean up your diet one dish at a time, by

substituting processed ingredients for fresh, clean alternatives.

For Example: If you have a weekly fish and chips night, make a Clean Version with

fresh fish and oven baked potato chips, a squeeze of lemon and a clean tartar

sauce and don’t forget to add the salad! Ingredient Clean Substitutes

Cous Cous Whole Wheat Cous Cous

Margarine / Vegetable Oil Organic Butter / Olive Oil /

Meat / Eggs Free Range, Organic Eggs & Meat

Table Salt Seal Salt

White Flour

White Whole Wheat Flour / Whole

Wheat Flour

White Pastry Flour Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

White Rice Brown Rice, Basmati Rice

White Pasta Whole Wheat Pasta - All types

White Bread Wholegrain Bread, Whole Grain Wraps

Want to know more about Clean Eating with a

family? Sign up for my Newsletter at

http://www.cleaneatingwithkids.com for some of

my favourite recipes and clean eating tips and tricks.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

When you browse through your favourite recipe sites or stockpile of underused

recipe books, it appears as if everyone (except you) are managing to prepare a

massive variety of restaurant quality food every night without fail. Don’t be fooled.

Aim to add ONE new recipe or dish to YOUR Menu Plan for the week (OR fortnight

OR Month). You run a home not a restaurant.

Starting your family on a clean eating plan is a bit when you moved out of home

and into your own place, I bet you could make, maybe 3-5 meals by heart.

Once you have cleaned up your existing menu, begin introducing at least one new

recipe or dish, either every week – or month – whatever suits.

For more Recipe Ideas and Clean Eating Resources, click on over to my website

www.cleaneatingwithkids.com or visit my facebook page

www.facebook.com/cleaneatingwithkids or follow me on Pinterest

www.pinterest.com/cleaneatingwithkids

Clean Eating with Kids: The Book is now Available

My book is now available on Amazon Kindle or in Print. If

you want to find out more about how our family made the

change to Clean Eating with 4 kids, please check it out on

Amazon or click here.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

There will be those days. You know the ones – flat tyres, sick kids, sick mom, lost

wallet. It happens. It’s called real life. On these days, nothing beats a ready to eat

meal just needing to be reheated and served.

Double up on certain meals and try and have at least two ready to eat meals in

your Freezer. Don’t worry. There is something immensely satisfying about pulling a

HOMEMADE instant meal from the Freezer.

Certain meals are easy to double and freeze. Soup, Casseroles & Bolognaise sauce

should NEVER be cooked in single batches – Double up and freeze the additional

serving. This gives you a ‘go to meal’ that you can get on the table in no time. It will save you time and sanity.

3 Recommended Resources

1. Click here to Visit my Website for my

5 of my Favourite Freezer Friendly

Meals.

2. Freezer Storage Chart

3. 4 Clean Meals to Double up and

Freeze

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

As Dr. Oz says; “When it comes to buying [meat and] dairy products you cannot just

peel or wash them like you would your produce”…so it’s best to go organic.

“Happy Meat” is our families’ name for meat that is for organic, free range, grass-

fed or wild caught. Basically, the animal had a good life before it landed on our

plate.

The meat our family eats is raised free range and fed food nature intended it to eat.

This is not negotiable for me. If I can’t find ‘happy’ meat and dairy, we won’t eat meat until I do. Take the time to do a bit of research as to where you can get the

best quality meat and dairy for your family.

BUDGET TIP: We operate on quite a tight budget, so by choosing to eat organic, free

range meat, I have to make the following adjustments:

1. I buy the cheaper cuts,

2. We eat meat fewer times a week (around 3 times a week including chicken),

3. I bulk up most meals with vegetables.

4. I buy in bulk when possible – your freezer is your friend!

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

When you shop with the season, this typically means that you are buying food that is

available in abundance – and often at a great price. Plus, this is also a good way to

ensure that your family gets to try a greater range of fruits and vegetables –

naturally.

Ideally the vegetables and fruit you eat should be local and organic, but, this should

not be a deal breaker. Budget often does determine the quality we can afford to

get and often buying organic (grown without pesticides) is not an option.

Stick to the Dirty Dozen Guidelines, which lists 12 fruits and veggies that you should try

and buy organic. This small change will cut your family’s exposure to pesticides by as

much as 80%.

Buy in bulk, prepare and freeze. If green beans are on special – buy for the month.

Divide into serving sizes and freeze – ready for the next meal.

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

This must be the #1 question most frequently asked question that I get – How can I

get my child to eat their vegetables? Oh boy!

These are my tips on getting your Child to eat Real Food

1. Feed your babies real food as soon as they begin eating solids. Avoid store

bought baby food. It’s not the same as the real thing. It did not prepare their

tastebuds for real food.

2. Don’t ‘Give up’ if your child rejects a food you serve. Fussy eating in children is

common. Some kids don’t like change. A child needs to be exposed to a new

food up to 3-5 times before they will accept it into their diet. As parents we

tend to ‘give up’ when a child decides they don’t like a type of food. More often than we would like to admit, we create a monster by offering them

something else to replace the uneaten food, or we never serve that food once

it has been rejected.

3. No More Choices. Everyone in the family eats the same meal. Cook once for

everyone. If they don’t eat it they go hungry. Trust me; kids don’t like to go hungry. They catch on really quickly that there are no options and they will eat.

4. Limit Snacks. Don’t let your child full up on snacks before dinner. They need to get to that dinner table ready to eat.

5. Prepare your Food with love. Your children need to know that you took time

and effort to create the meal you are serving them. Let them know that it

makes you happy when they eat the food you made. Dinnertime is where you

teach your children good eating habits, table manners and gratitude.

6. Turn the TV off. Children are excellent mimics. They learn from example. If you

want your children to eat their vegetables, practice good manners and

QUICK START GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING WITH KIDS – 10 EASY STEPS

develop good eating habits, then let them see you do it too. Turn off the TV, sit

down and share a meal with your children.

7. Offer your Kids more real Food more often.

It’s up to you to offer your children the right choices. Obviously, if you ask them

to choose between an apple or chocolate bar, odds are that chocolate bar is

going down! Don’t offer the chocolate bar. Present them with fresh, real food and you may be delightfully surprised at their response.

So, now you should have a good idea of what to expect from Clean Eating. I hope I

have given you enough resources to get you started on your path to Clean Eating

with Kids.

For more Tips and Clean Eating Resources, click on over to my website

www.cleaneatingwithkids.com or

visit my facebook page www.facebook.com/cleaneatingwithkids

My book is now available on Amazon Kindle or in Print. If

you want to find out more about how our family made

the change to Clean Eating with 4 kids, please check it

out on Amazon or click here.

I wish you success on your Clean Eating Journey. Thank you for being part of mine.

Cheers

,