The Healthy Habits Plate gives balance to mealtime portion distortion. Amy Roskelley loves hearing her kids say, “Mom, I need more veggies on my plate.”
After earning a degree in health education and working as a nutrition counselor for the state health department, Amy Roskelley, of Lehi, had all the answers for families and their bad eating habits.
“I could see that everyone was too busy to eat at home and to get out and exercise,” Amy says. “People think it’s faster to go through the drive-thru than to come home and boil some angel hair pasta. Then when I had my own kids, I realized how much easier it can be to give them junk food.”
Her education and career had taught her that children develop lifetime eating habits by the time they turn 10. So in an effort to start her three young ones on the right path, Amy launched what she now calls their “journey to becoming a super healthy family.”
One of her habit changes was not so much about the food she served her children but the plates she served it on. Amy found that she was better able to teach proper portion sizes by giving her kids sectioned plates.
“A balanced meal should be half fruits and vegetables,” Amy says. “I didn’t want my kids to grow up with mac and cheese as the main part of their meal with a couple pieces of broccoli on the side.”
And then she took the sectioned plates one step further.
“I thought, ‘It sure would be nice to have pictures on the plate,’” Amy says. “That way, the kids are the ones to say, ‘Hey mom — I need more vegetables on my plate.’”
Amy searched out an illustrator and manufacturer, then ordered her first batch of 2,000 Healthy Habits Plates. She promotes her product through her Super Healthy Kids blog and Web site, and the positive feedback has been pouring in.
“I’ve had great responses from people,” Amy says. “They’ll tell me their kids are searching the cupboards to add more fruit to the plate. They like how it encourages balance.”
Amy shares her best nutrition tips and sells her Healthy Habits Plates at superhealthykids.com.
Lessons through failure
I definitely want my kids to see that if you have a dream and want to succeed at something, there’s nothing that should hold you back. They can see me fail and succeed — and I do fail. They used to come home every day and say, “Did you sell a plate today?” and I’d say, “No, but that’s OK. Maybe tomorrow.” It’s good for them to see me fail.