When Lulu Cohen-Farnell and David Farnell explored child care options for their young son Max in 2002 they discovered the vital need for healthy food options in the child care setting. Knowing the importance of eating a balanced diet and wanting their son and other children to start their lives and days with healthy meals, Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK) was born.

The Y was aligned with RFRK's “fresh from scratch” model and together we began providing kids with an array of healthy lunches and snacks made from fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients. As we rally the community in the battle against childhood obesity, we spoke with Lulu and David about the importance of nutritious meals for kids.

A shift in priorities

YMCA: With childhood obesity on the rise, how can people help make the GTA a healthier place for our kids?

RFRK: It starts with priorities. It's easy to grab frozen or fast food, but they’re high in salt, fat and sugar. We recommend stepping outside the comfort zone and trying healthy, fresh food. If you're patient and persistent, it will become the norm. We know it works — we’ve seen it with our son and the children in the child care centres.

Monkey see, monkey do

YMCA: For parents who want to change the way their kids eat, name three easy things they can do to get started.

RFRK: 1. Make eating veggies, fruits and whole grains fun — try creating funny faces in a healthy dip. At meal time, don't serve all the food at once to make sure the veggies are eaten before moving onto the protein and carbs.

2. Buy local, naturally raised meats — they taste better. Offset the cost by reducing portions and using vegetable proteins as your main dish. Try lentils, all kinds of beans and good old split green peas.

3. Check healthy recipes online or flip through cookbooks with your kids to make a menu plan. Excite their senses and inspire them to cook with you and play with foods and ingredients to create delicious dishes. Food and cooking are like music or painting — be creative! Show your kids food with dirt on it and they'll make the connection back to the earth.

Extra tip: The most important thing is to be a role model. Kids are very much monkey see, monkey do, and if you lead by example by eating nutritious foods that were processed only by you, your kids will follow along.

Buyer beware

YMCA: You're enthusiastic proponents of fresh and local food. What's your response to the argument that it’s too expensive or time consuming to prepare fresh food?

RFRK: Processed foods are not cheaper, especially in the long run. Food made by a company is sold through a distributor, then a wholesaler and finally to you in a store. This is more expensive than food you make yourself. It comes down to making health a priority. You can use high quality ingredients to make inexpensive bulk meals on a weekend; freeze it up in batches that are small enough to quickly reheat. Make that your fast food. Plan ahead.

Make the choice to buy quality food and spend the time in the kitchen. We need to bring families back to the kitchen and dining table together to share stories and reconnect with food and each other. You’re helping to create healthy habits and guide your children to enjoy real food.

The food industry is tantalizing our taste buds with salt, fat and sugar, but you can retrain yourself to enjoy real foods. Remember, you are what you eat.

Embracing change

YMCA: What's surprised you most about the Real Food for Real Kids journey?

RFRK: Our biggest — and most pleasant — surprise is just how eager the child care industry has been to embrace our food service model. It takes more time and effort to get a reluctant kid to eat fish filets, broccoli and quinoa than, say, chicken nuggets and corn and white rice or bread.

Exciting the kids to eat dark green vegetables and fresh fruits is quite a bit...less easy. But we're impressed and energized by the response we get from the kids, and we now have families asking how they can incorporate these healthy foods into their everyday lives.

Anything is challenging when it's new. Human beings are funny animals. Despite how amazingly intelligent we are, we’re typically nervous about change and resist it at first. But if you make a persistent effort to make healthy food a priority for your family, you'll be amazed by the lasting results.