Make Food Shopping a Family Affair

If you're nutrition minded, let it show. Talk about why you're choosing one product over another, and let children who can read help you find data such as fat content or fiber content on food labels.

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You can also ask your kids random questions about price and value. Have them look at the price of an item and then have them check how many ounces come in the package. Let them compare brands based on these criteria.

If your kids are prone to whining or begging for things they want, give them something to look forward to for good behavior. Let them know they probably won't get (insert item) but if they don't make a scene over it, they can get (insert more acceptable item). If your children get an allowance, they might want to bring some of it with them to the store, so they can pick up a small treat or toy from an aisle or from a vending machine.

Big, weekly grocery shopping trips to the supermarket aren't the only way to shop for food with kids; you can also take jaunts to neighborhood fruit stands, bakeries and farmers' markets. These alternative shopping experiences allow kids a more diverse and less commercialized shopping experience, as well as giving them a better understanding of where food comes from and the work that goes into producing it.