Mercedes Schlapp Quotes

The Food Network and the Cooking Channel have so many viewers. And, because there's no violence, some of that audience is children. So, I think we have a responsibility to educate parents how to produce healthy meals for their families.

We're all bombarded with so many dietary messages that it's hard to find time to sort through all this information, but we do have time to take a look at our kids' plates.

I always did the cooking at home, and we always tried for balance. We've been vigilant about how and what our kids eat. For example, my son would just as soon go for the grapes as he would the chips... and the chips are baked.

My passion is about motivating as many families as possible to learn about vegetables and healthy eating together.

Packing lunches and going over menus is a great way to make small changes in the way your kids eat.

When I'm home, I cook and try to eat really clean. I try to eat vegetables at every meal. I stay away from pasta and bread and have brown rice and potatoes instead.

Being a mom is hard, but I don't want people to feel like they always have to go straight to the TV dinner or go to the fast food because you have a busy, hectic life.

My mom was a volleyball player, and my dad was a soccer player. I never thought about it, but they always served healthy food at home, and I love it, and it kind of was a regular part of my day.

So I have the green smoothie every day for breakfast, and then sometimes even for lunch too, and then I have a normal dinner.

We all need to start making some changes to how our families eat. Now, everyone loves a good Sunday dinner. Me included. And there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is when we eat Sunday dinner Monday through Saturday.

Burgers and fries are an American staple. On the same token, my kids eat vegetables, and they always have eaten vegetables. They didn't have a choice but to eat vegetables.

My kids are normal. If they could eat burgers and fries and ice cream every day, they would. And so would I. But that doesn't sustain us.

Cooking with your kids and engaging them in hands-on activities are two ways to begin to educate children about the healthy eating, and kick start the important task to help change how the younger generation looks at food and nutrition.

If your kids see what you eat, they will probably eat it, too. I'm not going to use the old-school policy of what my mother did and say to my kids, 'Well, if you are hungry enough, you will eat what I put on the table!' I think my kids have an understanding that if they see what their parents do, they should follow, too.

Our children's health and well-being are dependent on our commitment to promoting food access and good eating habits at home, at school and in the community.

My mom fed us a lot of processed food when we were kids, like chicken fingers, grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. I make those treats for my family, too, but I use organic cheeses and whole wheat bread and tortillas.

I don't think I ate a green vegetable until I was 30. I didn't grow up with a mom who enforced that at all.

A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.

A nutritionist helps me eat healthily at home.

It starts in the home environment. If the parents eat bad? Those kids are going to eat bad. If they see their parents stopping at McDonald's or Pizza Hut, then that's what they're going to eat as well.

I do practice what I preach when it comes to nutrition.

Soups are a great way to introduce a lot of vegetables to kids. Stir-fries, too, because they contain so many different shapes and colors.

I know I'm not perfect at giving my body what it needs to refuel after a run. Recognizing my bad habits has helped me pay more attention to what I eat. I have been known to rush through my day without making nutrition a priority, so I work hard to prepare healthy snacks in advance of my runs and while the kids are at school.

I eat foods such as fish, chicken, fruit and vegetables while avoiding red meat, dairy and wheat.

We know that there are significant health benefits from consuming more fruits and vegetables, and that's an opportunity for us to sort of move away from some of the meals that we've been preparing in the past.