The sun glints off the waiter’s watch, blinding me momentarily. The clink of ice against glass breaks the tranquility in the sleepy Spanish plaza. The children sit in their chairs, fidgeting in excitement. Today we are having a treat. The waiter places cans of coke cola and fizzy orange soda on the table.
I groan inwardly. I know that children will be children. They hanker after sweet and sickly. Their appetites seem to know no bounds in terms of craving sugar.
I have to confess I particularly dislike caffeine stuffed fizzy drinks (or even their caffeine deprived alternatives.)
I bite my tongue, not wanting to ruin the special moment.
Treats In Moderation
Enjoying a treat once in a while is fantastic. I know that my children eat a healthy diet. I know that nothing is forbidden in a healthy diet, as long as it’s consumed in moderation.
But moderation is the key.
My kid’s are not convinced.
If it were left up to them, they’d have fizzy drinks every single day.
In reality they get water.
No juice, no squash, no fizzy drinks. We drink water during the day to quench our thirst. Everything else is a treat and drunk in moderation.
Fruit Juice is a Treat
You may be surprised that fruit juice is also considered a treat. It may be natural, but it’s still full of lots of sugar. Think of it as fruit with most of the good bits taken out.
When I look at those fizzy drinks, I don’t just see sugar, lots of sugar, I see coloured sugary water perhaps with a few chemicals sprinkled in for good measure.
About as far away from healthy as you can get.
So I have introduced a new treat that my kids love just as much as the fizzy drinks that come in cans.
It’s super simple. It’s still a treat. It’s not as healthy as water, but it’s not as unhealthy as a can of fizzy pop.
Plus the kids love making it.
How to Make Homemade Fizzy Orange Juice
We squeeze some oranges by hand. This is great fun. Cut them in half, squash them on the lemon squeezer and see the golden orange liquid dribble down the side.
Tip it into a jug and top it up with sparkling mineral water.
Cool and refreshing for the hot summer.
We have also tried it with other fruit juices. Grapes that came off grandma’s vine. (Although I wouldn’t recommend it, it was hard work and the resulting deep purple liquid was stunning to look at, delicious to drink and a nightmare to clean up.)
Simple things such as apple juice, manderine juice, even carrot juice have been a success. (You will need a juicer for the apples and carrots.)
Or you could cheat and buy a carton. Just check that there isn’t ADDED sugar.
Today the chink of ice against glass is drowned by the excited noise that is normality in my house. My house is not a quiet house. It’s full of children who shout, scream, laugh and cry.
You may not be able to hear the clink of ice but you can hear the giggles of excitement, the smacking of lips, the cries of “more” as I pour out our healthy treat of homemade fizzy orange juice.
The kids are happy with their treat and this mommy is happy that the treat is a relatively healthy treat. Another step along healthy eating for children road.
Free Healthy Eating for Children Video Course
If you’d like to know more about how to help your children eat a healthy diet, you can sign up for my free video course. It’s a series of really short videos that are sent to you over a few days. Little bite size tips that you can start to implement straight away. You need to put your email in to sign up, and after the course, I’ll continue to keep in touch with my weekly newsletter. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.
Feeding Toddlers.
Would you like your kids to eat more healthily? Check out the book!