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You’re out on the high street, been shopping for 2 hours and it’s getting to the point where holding on to James and Susan’s hands is difficult. Not only do you have too many bags by now, they’re also pulling on your arms as their tummies are starting to rumble. The first course of action for many, and years ago this included me (major blushing), is to rush to the nearest MaccieD. It’s always close by, its golden arches beckoning, some new gimmicky toy (a few were actually quite good) working up the pester power in your little lovelies. But does it really have to be this way? Is junk food, there is no other way to put it no matter how many salads they douse in dressing more fattening than their burgers, the only thing to feed kids on a shopping trip? The answer is, “No!”. You can feed your kids healthy (or at least not horridly unhealthy) food without having to search for a restaurant or hunt for a pub with a family license (the former being too expensive and the latter usually non-existent on the high street). We’re not talking about alf alfa sprouts and soy milk here, we’re just trying to spare the little tummies from taking in more saturated fat in one meal than I can bear to think about. And this isn’t just McDonalds - KFC and Burger King are only marginally less bad. But there is another way. Every high street in Britain that I know of has a Boots. Boots does a range of sandwiches, salads, drinks, sweats and all sorts of yummies. Most of their Lunch Deals are about £3, just a £1 more than one of the infamous kids meals. Or if you’re ok to spend a bit more go for M&S. Picky kids might like their bigger range of snacks including real cheese sticks, mini scotch eggs, tiny cherry tomatoes, fruit and veg pots, etc… Or do something completely different and go to Holland and Barrat. This health food store doesn’t do sandwiches or any sort of deli food but they do offer a wide range of nuts, dried fruits and energy bars. Your kids might enjoy choosing several snacks to make up their lunch. My son’s favourite is the fruit strips (called fruit leather in the US). They’re £0.29 and fantastic. You’ll need to also buy some nuts and drinks to make it a filling lunch though. But what if it’s raining (I know that one!) so the bench is out of the question but you really have to sit down. One option is the local Subway. Whilst not the “healthy option” they would love to have you believe, Subway is miles ahead of the standard junk food outlets. You can make it healthier by having them pile on your kids’ favourite veggies. It doesn’t matter if the only veggie they’ll touch is cucumbers. Order a sub, tell them to cut out the cheese and cut down on the meat and instead give you triple cucumbers. There’ll still be enough meat in it to feed a small town. And get it on brown bread, it’s soooo lovely. Another indoor venue to try is Debenhams. Their instore restaurants offer freshly cooked food as well as a Pick ‘n Mix kids menu. They’ll also warm your baby bottles and prepare baby food you bring in for you. How’s that for service? Or, try out the local high street café. Most high streets and malls have at least one non-chain café. Some will unfortunately be awful, but I have been to many that were very nice and served lovely, freshly prepared food. Yes, it will cost more than MD but so does most real food. So try something different. Go somewhere new. And let your kids experience health(ier) shopping trip lunches.
Article Source: http://www.healthfreakarticles.com
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