Health for life

Weve all been there with our parents – the same ol restaurant, with the same ol menu– because theyre reluctant to try something new, strange, or simply unappealing. And theres nothing intrinsically wrong with that, per se. People like what they like, and odds are, your parents eating habits have been pretty set for decades.

But wouldnt it be nice to try something else for a change?

Convincing your folks to move on to new cuisines and cultures can be a wonderful experience for all involved, and not just because kimchee is awesome. "Ethnic" foods, or foods found outside your traditional cuisine, are frequently:

• Less expensive: When HOTUS and I order Chinese takeout, we can turn $15 into dinner that night and lunch for the office the next day. While not as cheap as home cooking, its darn comparable.
• Healthier: Okay, so the ghee (clarified butter) in Chicken Korma wont put it on the happy side of the Eat This, Not That list, but non-traditional dishes can often pack in vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and healthy oils. Compared especially to most American-style restaurant meals, ethnic food is frequently a lighter choice.
• Educational: By eating foods outside of your customary cultural cuisine, youre exposing yourself to a new world of ingredients, flavor combinations, and styles of preparation, which you can then implement at home.
• Delicious: Mmm. Take two bites of baba ghanoush and call me in the morning.

But then again, were not talking about you here, are we? Were talking about your parents – wonderful people, to be sure, but not necessarily the most daring of eaters. So, how can you get your beloved Ma and Pa to dig into falafel, injera bread, and even sushi (or "bait," as a certain family member calls it)? Try five these strategies:

1) Pay for it. Sometimes, older folks (actually, any folks) simply dont want to blow money on something theyre not sure theyll like. So, pick an inexpensive restaurant and treat em. Think of it as an adventure you dont need hiking boots for.

2) Start at home. Prepping a meal for mom? Throw in a teriyaki side dish or a plate of pierogies. By surrounding a new food with ones she likes, it may seem more approachable.

3) Order a gateway food. Introducing your parents to a mild dish – one with a less-assertive flavor, similar to a recipe they might already love. Pad Thai is way Americanized, but its an effective tool for getting reluctant eaters into more daring Thai Food. For me, lassis and samosas were the gateway dishes to a lot of delicious Indian cuisine.

• SPECIAL NOTE: This can be a way effective strategy for people with an aversion to spice, which was probably the most-cited fear in yesterdays Ask the Internet comments. Feeding your parents a super-mild quesadilla proves to them that all Mexican food isnt a five-alarm chili, which could encourage them to attempt other dishes.

4) Embrace media. This might sound lame (I hope not), but for many folks, seeing a dish in a magazine, on a TV show, or at the movies – when its been styled and served in the best possible light by super-attractive people – can make it seem tremendously appealing. I wonder how many parents wanted an Italian meal after watching Julia Roberts slurp spaghetti in Eat Pray Love? Or how many folks decided Indian food could be super-awesome after 30 minutes of Aartis Party? Or how many moms and dads tried matzoh ball soup for the first time after seeing a glossy photo in Saveur? Probably a lot.

5) Know when to accept defeat. My dad will never, ever, ever develop a love of curry, no matter how many "mmm … slurp … ahhh" sounds I make while eating a big ol bowl of it. And that is totally, 100% fine. Not everyone has similar tastes, and pushing a loved one too hard can (seriously) get pretty annoying. Food should be a joy, not a struggle. Move on.

Opening parents - and anyone, really - up to new cuisines, and as a result, new cultures, is something from which we can all benefit. Happy eating.

Readers? Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Fire away.

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If you enjoyed this read, you might also dig:

• Healthy Takeout on a Budget
• Learning to Love Foods You Hate: A How-To Guide for Frugal Eaters
• Serving Sizes and Portion Control: A Primer

Freelance work is light this month, and I’m finding myself with more time to spend in the kitchen. My good pal JBF, however, is busier than ever.

As are most worker bees these days, she is doing the jobs of several, keeping late hours, and coming home exhausted. She manages to cook healthy dinners, but making lunch to take to work is a challenge.

She finds herself eating on the run, spending insane amounts of money for midtown Manhattan lunches, and making less than healthy choices that sabotage the good work she is doing in other areas.

Since my unceremonious kick to the curb (from the job where I was doing the work of several), I’ve been working from home. For the most part, I have time to cook healthy meals for myself every day. (These habits were already in place, so it wasn’t much of a shift.)

JBF’s struggle gave me an idea. What if I made lunch for both of us—kind of like a personal chef-lite?

The Proposal

1. Share food costs, saving us both money (I’d make enough for both of us.)
2. JBF: Kick me a little extra for my effort 
3. Leigh: Make 5 inexpensive, healthy lunches and snacks per week
4. Leigh: Provide variety, but dishes can repeat (We both easily lock into dishes we love.)
5. JBF: Report back with perences every couple of days
6. Leigh: Call/email to arrange drop off/pick up
7. Leigh: Submit an invoice with food and labor at the end of the week
8. Everybody wins: I stay on a schedule and make a little extra scratch, and JBF gets healthy lunches and snacks for less than she was spending on take out.

While JBF is an omnivore, she eats primarily vegetarian when dining sans hubby. She gave me carte blanche to make the meals veggie, even vegan. She also loves to try new things, so I’m at liberty to be creative. And as we know, keeping it interesting is the golden rule of sticking to any kind of healthy eating plan.

Here’s how it’s been shaking out.

JBF’s Take-out Stats
(click on graph to enlarge)




Lunch Buddy Stats for Week One
(click on graph to enlarge)


That’s over 40%!

Week two demonstrated similar savings, though we operated on a four-day week. So far our little arrangement has been a success! I’m sticking to a meal plan, which is hard for me, as well as experimenting with new dishes. JBF is getting healthy, home-cooked meals delivered to her door (We live near one another; it’s no big.), and we’re both in the black.

We’ve even made time to eat together on occasion, and that’s the best part of the deal.

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If this article had you dancing in the aisles, shimmy on over to

• Vegetarian Meal Planning for Meat Eaters
• The Brown Bag Brigade: Your One-Stop Shop for Work Lunch Ideas
• Meal Planning—An Experiment and A Conversion

You could predict, based on the idea that inactivity impairs our muscles ability to take up fat for energy, that intentional exercise would have the opposite effect and increase our triglyceride uptake into muscle. Not the case. In heavily trained rats, there was no difference in enzyme activity that would promote this process. The benefits of exercise are due to an entirely different biochemical process. It seems as though our bodies "expect" us to at least get up and walk around once in a while, and when we dont do it, we begin to lose our healthy homeostasis.

The solution is simple on paper but not so simple in practice: move more. Most of us probably don’t realize how much we sit… every time we’re at the computer, when we’re in the car, when we’re on the subway, when we’re at the movies, when we’re watching TV, when we’re reading a book, when we’re eating… it’s a part of everyone’s life. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing and spending time in a seated position; just don’t overdo it. Of course there will be situations when we’ll be forced to sit all day. Luckily for us, simply getting up periodically to stretch and walk around can mitigate the nasty side effects we get from staying seated.


What’s the take home message in all of this? Just because you’re going to the gym a few times a week doesnt necessarily mean you’re doing your body good. Youve still got 15 or so other waking hours left in your day that can’t be ignored. Be conscious of how much you sit, and do what you can to stay on your feet. Staying active throughout the day is just as important for your long-term health as intentional exercise at the gym!

Are you looking for acne solutions that really work? The good news is, whether youre a teenager or an adult suffering from acne, you dont have to live with it. Here you can find 10 super easy and effective ways to get rid of acne.

1. Do not pick, press or rub your pimples. These actions actually increase the sebum production and rupture the membranes below your skin. The infection and sebum will spread underneath your skin and cause more pimples. Also, you risk increasing the chances of leaving scars on your face.

2. Wash your face twice a day using a mild soup. It is even better if you can buy sulfur-based soap especially for acne. If your skin is too oily, use a soap with benzoyl peroxide. Do not use rough sponges, brushes, or anything similar on your face. You shouldnt, however, over-wash your face because it will actually stimulate your sebaceous glands to produce more sebum which will increase your acne.

3. Check if it is because of the food. For many people, food allergy can cause very serious acne condition. You should avoid eating too much oily and spicy food. Recent studies have shown that acne can also be caused by milk which contains hormones as well as seafood with relatively high levels of iodine. If possible, cut down on those foods. Other foods you may consider avoiding are: sugar, dairy products, deep-fried food, meat, nut butters, etc. On the other hand, it is believed that green vegetables, vegetable juices and foods rich in zinc can help alleviate acne condition.

4. Drink more water every day. "Eight glasses of water a day can keep acne away." says Jennifer Thoden, a respected acne expert. The reason is that water can carry waste material out of our body and it really helps heal and prevent acne flare-ups.

5. Do not wear makeup if possible. Makeup products can clog your pores, cause more blackheads and pimples. If you have to wear makeup, make sure it is water-based. Be sure to clean your makeup brushes regularly and cleanse your skin before you sleep.

6. Do not use oily products. Avoid products such as hair pomades, intense oil-based facial moisturizers, and oily cleansers.

7. Keep your face clean. Do not rest your chin on your hands or constantly touch your face. Regular shampoo your hair and keep it off your face, especially when you sleep.

8. Exercise moderately as it helps in blood circulation and elimination of toxins.

9. Stay stress-free. Studies have shown that stress not only worsens acne flare-up, it also worsens the overall skin condition. Talk to your friends, listen to your favorite music, or take a walk in the park. There are many things you can do to be stress free.

10. Get Sunshine and fresh air. Sunshine stimulates vitamin D in the body, an essential vitamin for healthy skin. Fresh air and sunshine can also reduce stress (tip #9) and increase oxygen to the skin. Dont get burnt in the sun though. Burnt and heavily tanned skin forms a layer on the skin that doesnt exfoliate quickly enough and can lead to blocked pores.

Article by : Nicholas Ahern

Article Source : 10 Easy and Natural Ways to Get Rid of Acne

We live in a busy world. As much as we want to be able to stick to our normal gym schedule, life throws us scheduling curve balls: an emergency staff meeting, playing the chauffeur to and from soccer practice, that girl you met at the gym asks you to catch dinner tonight. These things happen. In order to stay faithful to your fitness goals, here are five quick fixes when time isnt on your side. Use these when youre in a pinch but still want to kick your endorphins into high gear.

1. Maximize Your Lunch Break

Most of us have a little bit of a reprieve during the day: those precious minutes we call our lunch break.  If you know that you wont have the time to make it to the gym today, use your lunch break to your advantage--you can maximize your down time while still giving your body the fuel it needs with an energy or protein bar, meal replacement, or protein shake. Many companies have on-site fitness facilities that can be used to get a full gym workout in. And when in doubt, take a walk around the neighborhood.


2. Watch Your Waistline

As important as exercise is to reaching your fitness goals, theres a second half to that equation: healthy eating. And unfortunately the office is where most of us throw that part out the window. If youre like me, your office is surrounded by delicious, but not always healthy, meal choices. And sometimes youre skipping a gym date for a fancy dinner date instead. Dont sabotage yourself. If you know you arent making the gym today, opt for food options that will help your goals: power foods like avocados, lean meats and other lean proteins, and good carbs like fruit.

3. Back to Basics

Hershel Walker, the great Heisman trophy-winning football player, Olympic bobsledder, and Mixed Martial Artist, chiseled his physique in three steps without really having to step into the gym: push-ups, sit-ups, and sprints. Try this: in between commercials on your favorite primetime program, perform twenty push-ups and sit-ups each. Repeat for all commercials in a one-hour programming block. Its the TV workout. And it will help you stay on track even when you cant get to the gym.

4. Make-Up Day

Every working man and woman values the two days at the end of the week like they were made of solid gold. But, if you skipped a gym day this week, use your weekend to make It up. You dont have to forgo your weekend either. Take a mountain biking trip, go for a hike, hit the beach for a fun run or some kayaking action. You can still enjoy your day off while getting that workout in.

5. Dont Beat Yourself Up

Remember, if you miss a day or two, its not the end of the world. Many times we need that rest. Just remember that its important to not get off track, because that can derail your fitness goals. If you skip a day, just work that much harder the next time youre in the gym.
_http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/5-quick-fixes-when-you-cant-get-to-the-gym.html

To obtain an ideal weight, you need to schedule a weight loss diet that can be done in a day. Do so in accordance with the schedule, then you can lose weight faster.

Here is a series of schedules that can be done in the diet daily, namely:

6-8 oclock in the morning: Move your body

Half an hour after you wake up and before breakfast, move your body by doing a light olehraga to 20 minutes. Research shows that exercising before breakfast can help you burn fat more efficiently.

It would be better if you exercise in the sun. Morning sunlight helps your body to reset your sleep cycle and you can get vitamin D naturally.

At 7:00 to 8:00: Drinking water

Before you get your breakfast, drink two glasses of water. Research shows that people who drank this amount every morning before breakfast can help you lose weight by 2 pounds.

At 8:00 to 9:00: Breakfast

When you wake up, you can also wake ghrelin, a hormone that makes your stomach feel hungry. Do not ignore the hunger because the body will produce more ghrelin again until noon and end up making you hungry and eat too much.

To suppress the effects of ghrelin, eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates and protein, like eggs and bread wheat, at least one hour after waking.

At 10:00 to 11:00: Eat a healthy snack

Ghrelin become inactive after you eat foods that contain carbohydrates and protein for breakfast. These hormones will start to rise again a few hours before lunch.

To prevent too hungry when you eat lunch, eat healthy snacks in small portions at this hour. You can eat a piece of fruit or yogurt.

At 12:00 to 13:00: Lunch

At the time of day, the body activate galanin, another hunger hormone that makes you want fatty foods. However, galanin-fat foods can produce more and make you eat more fat.

Instead, choose foods that contain complex carbohydrates and protein during lunch, such as chicken, vegetables, vegetable soup or beans.

At 14:00 to 15:00: Take a nap 15 minutes (if possible)

Take the time to take a nap when youre not working. Nap time which is ideal for 15 to 20 minutes to restore the bodys energy without affecting your ability to sleep at night.

At 15.30: last caffeine intake

When you need a boost of energy in the afternoon, you can get it by drinking beverages containing caffeine such as coffee or tea. Do not drink coffee after 16.00 because it can disrupt the circadian rhythm of the heart and keep you awake longer at night.

At 4:00 p.m. to 18:00: Exercise the power

Now is the time to exercise or strength training. At the time of the afternoon, your body temperature is higher and more primed for exercise. In one study, the evening exercise can build muscle by 22 percent over the gym in the morning.

At 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Dinner

To ensure you do not wake up hungry in the middle of the night, eat healthy fats in moderation such as fatty portions of fish oil, for your dinner. Do not pass these hours if you want to have dinner.

21:00 pm: Eat a healthy snack

Enjoy a light snack before bed such as a serving of low fat yogurt. Carbohydrates in the evening light also produced tryptophan, which helps your brain produce serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that triggers your body to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone.

At 21:00 to 22:30: Turn off electronic devices

Turn off electronic devices such as computers and TV 2 hours before bedtime. The electronic device emits blue light spectrum that is more annoying than regular light bulbs. Sleep disorders can put you at higher risk of obesity.

At 21:30 to 23:00: Sleeping

Go to bed at the same time every night can make you have a regular sleep schedule. Adequate sleep also give depth to your fitter in the morning and be healthier.

Talk about a law that wont get no respect. The President is quietly ignoring the Affordable Care Acts two year anniversary while leaving it to the controversial Ms. Pelosi to apply her unique rhetorical style to its defense. To add insult to injury, the U.S. House has just voted to repeal a signature feature of the law, the Independent Payment Review Commission (IAPB). If the repeal werent linked to HR 5s medical malpractice orms, theres a chance that enough of Mr. Obamas Democratic Senate would abandon him and force a Presidential veto.

The late Rodney Dangerfield would have a lot to say.....

"When ACA supporters talk about the ACA, they have to wear two paper bags over their heads... in case one falls off!"

"When the ACA passed, critics said it was unaffordable.  Its supporters wanted a second opinion, so thats when the critics said its unconstitutional too!" 

"One ACA supporter told his psychologist that ever since he voted for the ACA, everyone he knows hates him!  He said he was being ridculous - not everyone knows that he voted for it!"

Happy Friday!

Do you need to quit it cold turkey? Here are expert answers.
Recently, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres declared that she was going on a sugar cleanse, purging her diet of all refined sugars to boost her well-being. While naturally occurring sugars, such as the kind found in sugar snap peas, were still OK to eat, no one was going to catch Ellen letting a Bunt cake cross her lips.
Her sugar cleanse diet inspired many viewers to embark on their own sugar smack downs. Is this the latest food fad, or are the sugar naysayers on to something?
Is sugar addictive?

A coworker with an unshakable candy bar habit might sigh that shes utterly addicted to sweets. Can someone truly become physically dependent on sugar?
Sugar taps into a powerful human preference for sweet taste, says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, a scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a basic research institute in Philadelphia.  "Were born to like sugar," she says.
"Sugar does seem to be special in some ways," Pelchat says, even in the womb. Doctors used to treat the problem of excessive amniotic fluid by injecting a sweet substance into the liquid, she says. The appealing taste would prompt the fetus to swallow more fluid, which was then flushed out through the umbilical cord and the mothers kidneys.
Not only do infants prefer sweet tastes, but when babies drink a sweet solution, it can ease pain through a natural analgesic effect in the body, Pelchat says.

Way back, the preference for sugar may have conferred an evolutionary advantage by leading people to seek out ripe fruits, which are sweet and serve as a good source of calories, she says.
But nowadays, is the coworkers constant hankering for sugar merely a strong liking, or is it a true addiction, with physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms?

"The jurys still out," Pelchat says. Scientists arent sure if people can become physically dependent on sugar, although some animal studies suggest that such a thing is possible, she says. "There are the same kinds of changes in brain dopamine, in these animals given intermittent access to sugar, as in drug addicts." 

Unlike with substance abuse, people dont get the shakes when they stop eating sugar. But people with constant sugar cravings do exhibit one symptom of dependence, Pelchat says: "continued use despite knowledge of bad consequences or having to give up certain activities." For instance, people who crave sugary, fatty foods will keep eating them even if obesity makes it uncomfortable to walk or to sit in an economy seat on the plane. 
Can sugar worsen cholesterol?
Researchers have found a link between sugar and unhealthy levels of blood fats. “There’s an association between added sugar intake and what we call dyslipidemia -- higher triglycerides and lower HDL ("good") cholesterol, says Rachel K. Johnson, RD, MPH, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA).

In a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), people who ate the largest amounts of added sugar had the highest blood triglyceride levels and the lowest HDL (good) cholesterol levels. That study also showed that eating lots of sugar more than tripled the odds of having low HDL cholesterol levels, a strong risk factor for heart disease.
In contrast, people who ate the least sugar had the lowest triglyceride levels and highest HDL levels, a protective factor against heart disease.

But "the study doesn’t prove that added sugars cause dyslipidemia,” says Johnson, who wasnt involved in the JAMA study.
Johnson says that to prove that sugar causes problems with blood fats, scientists would have to conduct a clinical trial in which some people ate a diet high in added sugar and others ate a diet low in added sugar. Then researchers would track their triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Such a study would be expensive and hard to carry out, she says.

However, Johnson points out that weight did not explain the JAMA findings. “Obesity is obviously related to dyslipidemia, but based on the JAMA paper, the added sugars had an independent effect, separate and distinct from the added sugars’ impact on weight," she says.
Does sugar cause diabetes?

"Eating sugar per se does not cause diabetes," Johnson says. But large, epidemiological research has shown an association between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and diabetes, she says.

The real culprit may be obesity. "It may be because the sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with higher BMIs or associated with overweight and obesity, which we know is a risk factor for diabetes," Johnson says.
Is sugar affecting childrens health?

Pediatricians are concerned that too much sugar is in their young patients diets, Kavey says. But again, sugar by itself is not the problem, she says, but rather the excess pounds.

"The reason that we think of it as a problem is because of the big rise in obesity in childhood, and that rise has occurred over the same time period that theres been a major increase in the amount of simple sugar that children consume," Kavey says. Juices, sodas, sweetened cereals, cookies, and candy are common sources of sugar in childrens diets. 

But other factors -- like spending a lot of sedentary time with computers rather than running around and playing -- may also contribute to childhood obesity.

What about the notion that sugar makes some children hyperactive?

"In my own experience, I know there are some children who are very sensitive to sugar. They really are quite wild after they have sugar," Kavey says. "But thats not proof. The literature on it is not conclusive at all."

Are some types of sugar better than others?

Celebrities and high-profile chefs have touted the benefits of replacing refined white sugar with purportedly more natural, healthier sugars, such as honey, maple syrup, or molasses.

But theres no truth to these common misconceptions, Johnson says. "In terms of something being inherently better about those sweeteners as opposed to table sugar or sucrose -- no." The bottom line: All are simple sugars.

"A calorie of sugar is a calorie of sugar, so whether youre getting it from white sugar or some other type of sweetener, youre still adding empty calories to your diet," Johnson says. 

However, there may be one redeeming quality, she says. "Some of those sweeteners -- like maple syrup, molasses, honey -- may have a stronger taste, so you might be able to get the sweetness that you want with less of it, using less calories." 

What about substituting artificial sweeteners? Despite public worries that they might cause cancer, "Theyve been approved as safe by the FDA and I think that they can be a good tool to lower the calories in your diet," Johnson says. "But you need to be careful that its about the total calories. You always hear about the person who puts the non-nutritive sweetener in their coffee and then has a piece of cheesecake."


How much sugar does the average American eat?

Sugar shows up naturally in lots of foods, but those arent the types of sugars in the spotlight. Instead, its the sugar in the doughnuts and sodas or even in the maple syrup that we drizzle onto our pancakes.

"We do know that Americans are consuming way too much added sugars," Johnson says. "These are the sugars that are added to foods in processing or preparation. Theyre not the naturally occurring sugars, like fructose in fruit or lactose in milk or dairy products."

Johnson led the team of experts that wrote the AHAs 2009 scientific statement on added sugars and cardiovascular health. The report pointed to sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks as the main source of added sugars in Americans diets.

From 2001 to 2004, the report noted, Americans consumed lots of sugar: an average of 22 teaspoons a day, the equivalent of 355 calories.

Eating too much sugar can create two main problems, Johnson says. "It either adds calories to your diet or it displaces other nutritious foods. Most Americans could benefit from reducing the amount of added sugars in their diet."

How to Get Your Children to Eat Their Greens - As adults we know just how important it is that we get our greens and our fruit in our diet. We know that its here that we get the all-important minerals and nutrients that ensure we have strong bones, that ensure we have healthy teeth and nails, and that help us to avoid getting colds and other illnesses by keeping our immune system strong.

However the unfortunate fact is that kids dont know all this as well, and that they only really see vegetables and fruit as a frustrating obstacle to getting their pudding. This is the reason for the age old war between kids and parents that come every dinner time and makes meals a lot more dragged out and a lot less pleasant than they otherwise could be.

Here we will look at how to keep your kids happily eating their greens so that you can avoid a fight and keep them healthy and strong.

Dont Make a Big Deal of It
One mistake a lot of parents make is to make a big deal of their children eating their greens and to draw a lot of attention to them in the process. If you say to your children make sure you eat all your greens before they have even started eating, then this is only going to have the effect of making them not want to at all; no one ever wants to do something theyre told to do...

Likewise if they really dont want to eat something then theres no point in absolutely forcing them to or making them sit there for hours – its not worth it for one last carrot and all it will do is scar them and completely put off vegetables forever. Let them win some battles, as long as you win the war...

Mix Them In
At the same time you can easily trick your children into eating a lot of fruits and vegetables without them really being aware if you mix them into bigger meals. Stews for instance are ideal ways to sneak the veg into their diet, and this way even if they are crafty and decide to try and eat around the vegetables, they will still get a lot of goodness simply from the gravy and the sauce which will have absorbed some of the nutrients and goodness – lets see them wriggle out of that one!

Likewise you can also include fruit and vegetables in other ways that are less obvious – for instance you can put fruit onto your childrens morning cereal (bananas or strawberries for instance) and you can even include it in deserts – like meringue but with sliced fruits on top. This way they will actually look forward to their fruit.

Think Outside the Box
If your child absolutely loathes the sight of broccoli then theres no point in having an unpleasant stand off every night – dinner time should be an enjoyable time for the whole family. Instead then concede to the vegetables they dont like, and instead think about using some of the fruit they maybe dont know about next time. Maybe you could have some aubergine or some cauliflower, or some swede. There must be something they like... right?

Change the Presentation
Meanwhile you might also find that they simply dont like the vegetables the way youre doing them. If they wont eat cauliflower for instance, then they may eat cheesy cauliflower. Likewise if they dont like carrots, then try grated carrot with suede.

Blend
And in general grating things is a great way to get your children to eat them. So they wont eat the carrots in your bolognaise? Then try just grating the carrot on top of the spag and they wont even be able to see it. Likewise you can blend fruits up into a juice, or you can even give them soup or ice cream with the nutrition too finely chopped to see.

Dont Be Fooled
Dont be fooled last of all by foods and particularly puddings that claim to be one of your childrens five a day. Very rarely is this true, and even if it is it probably wont contain the same fiber content. Real fruit and veg is always preferable to things claiming to have the same benefits.