by Wendy

The key to most fast food chains is targeting children. Growing up, going to McDonald’s was always something we looked forward. Our parents would order us happy meals, usually consisting of a hamburger, french fries, soda and a great toy, some sort of Disney character that would keep us occupied for hours.

However in recent years, Disney has been trying to promote a healthier lifestyle for families and kids. First it started in their parks and resorts, and now it’s happening in their advertising, promotions, and sponsorships.

Disney recently announced that it will no longer accept any new advertising deals from foods that are considered fast food or high in fat/sugar and does not meet government dietary guidelines on their tv channels, radio stations and websites, where their core demographic is children. This will make Disney the first major media company to take such a bold action to promote healthy food consumption. This won’t go into effect until 2015 due to existing contracts, but it will change how companies similar to Disney market to children.

Let’s take part on this in promoting a healthy lifestyle in our homes with these easy tips:

Keep clean, ready to eat fruits and veggies in the fridge or on the kitchen counter so they are within reach for the kids and family to snack on during the day, instead of giving them the opportunity to reach for a sugary snack.

Make your own frozen treats to keep cool this summer by combining unsweetened fruit juice, water and fresh fruit. Pour into an ice try, add wooden sticks, freeze until solid and enjoy!

Always keep peanut butter in the pantry. It goes well on everything- wheat bread with jelly, smeared on apples, or even dipped with celery sticks.

Some other fun snack recipes you can whip up at home are Juicing, Healthy Pizzas, Bento Boxes, and even Eating Rainbows.

What are some of your favorite fun snack recipes to your kids?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.