Last night, I was getting my 3 year old daughter ready for bed and she said, “hey Mom, what about my treat? I want fruits and vegetables!” Well, as you can imagine, I was not only taken aback by her idea of fruits and veggies being “treats”, but was also beaming with pride. A dietitian’s dream statement! Now if only I could think like that and if only my clients could think like that! American’s are continually struggling with choices – what to have for dinner, should I eat that sweet, should I have one cookie or a handful of cookies; and all too often, those choices are followed with guilt. Guilt that we ate too much, or we chose the “wrong” foods. Perhaps reframing these choices would help. Perhaps thinking more like a 3 year old, when it comes to food choices, would help. Instead of looking and dwelling on things not to eat, look for foods to eat! Perhaps filling up on our “treats”, as my daughter says, would leave less room for the over processed sugary foods. So the next time you open the fridge, or the pantry, keep the fruits and veggies in plain view. Move the dried fruit and nuts to the front and center of your cupboard. Keep the bananas and apples on the counter. And perhaps, it may move you to say, “Hey, I want that treat!”

Banana Split, Minus the Split
Ingredients:
1 medium banana
1 Tbsp Hershey’s chocolate syrup
1/2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Fat Free cool whip (optional)

Instructions:
Slice the banana and place in a bowl. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with almonds. Add a dollop of fat free cool whip, if desired. And enjoy a high fiber “treat” 