Healthy Living...From Fruits to Nuts

According to an article in the November 2009 issue of Disney Family Fun magazine eating fruits and nuts can be fun and healthy treats.  Below are 2 suggestions:
1. Fruits: Studies from the University of Illinois and Cornell University suggest a mix of fruits (or vegetables) delivers more disease-fighting antioxidants than the same amounts of those foods eaten separately.  Why?  Researchers think the fruit works in synergy to bring out the best in one another.  To inspire your kids to eat mixed fruit make it fun an attractive.  Let them help you cut it up with a butter knife and arrange it in creative ways they make up themselves.

2. Nuts:  Want to encourage healthier snacking ?  Instead of a candy dish, set out a nutcracker and a bowl of unshelled nuts.  Serve this way, with not added oil or salt, nuts are a wholesome treat, packed with protein, vitamins, and heart-healthy fats.  Plus, cracking and picking the meats out of the shells shows the frantic pace of over eating.