Determined to concoct healthier food for babies, Calabasas-based Liane Weintraub, mother to seven-year-old Ava and six-year-old Cole, founded Tasty Brand with Shannan Swanson. Ever since, the company has evolved into a popular line of healthy and organic snacks for kids ages 0 to 12. Cookies (sweetened with Agave instead of sugar), organic fruit snacks, and carrot cake cereal bars are all available!
Do your children love to eat healthy?
They really do like healthy food. Of course, they also love sugary things and other less healthy options, but they realize those things are not part of their meals—those are “extras” that they can have occasionally.
Do they ever crave fast food? What do you do if/when they do?
My kids are pretty anti-fast food. Whenever we drive past those places they make a “yucky” expression! That doesn’t mean they don’t love burgers, fries, and milkshakes, but they understand the different levels of quality, and they don’t want anything to do with factory farmed meat.
How can mothers turn their kids onto healthy snacks?
One tactic is to help kids understand what is so great about eating healthy—how they’ll feel, what it will do for their bodies, etc. We find that the “superhero” approach works really well, meaning letting children know that athletes & superheroes love to eat veggies (or whichever healthier options you are trying to convince them to try).
The other key is that you, as a parent, have to walk the walk by also enjoying healthy snacks in front of your kids. If you’re wolfing down doughnuts while asking them to eat carrot sticks… well, you get the picture!
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that “healthy” does not need to mean “boring.” There are lots of ways of introducing healthier options (whole grains, lower sugar, less fat) into your children’s diets without resorting to taking all the fun out of their food.
List your top 5 healthy snack alternatives to processed/greasy junk food.
1. Apple chips or freeze-dried fruit
2. Edamame (kids love popping them into their mouths!)
3. Hummus or guacamole with baked chips and/or veggie sticks
4. Frozen grapes
5. Tasty Brand fruit snacks, cookies or cereal bars!!