Local Mom Shares Unique Approach to Healthy Eating for Children

Crunch, crunch. In my house, that sound can equate to a child noshing on something like graham crackers or pretzels. But, in Landria Voigt's house, located in Buckhead, it might mean something totally different such as kale chips. Yes, this mother of two makes kale chips for her children. And, guess what? They love it.

Voigt, who is a stay-at-home mom and photographer, became interested in the behavioral and physical impacts of diet several years ago. Slowly but surely, Voigt eliminated flour, or basically anything white, and sugars from her diet. She then eliminated those elements from the diet of her family. Since that time, she's advised family, friends and neighbors on what foods to buy that will help others achieve their maximum potential, from a behavioral and physical perspective.

Now, she writes a blog, http://stiritup.me/, to share with others her knowledge, ideas and approach to eating healthy. I stumbled upon her musings the other day as I cruised the Internet and social media realms.

"Everything I do is simple," she said, including her approach to food. "We work to make our kids as smart as they can be, so why not help kids to be energized and not be tired and improve their concentration with the foods they eat?

"If kids are hungry, they will eat veggies," says Voigt, who just simply puts out veggies on the table, without a word, and minutes later, they are gone.  All the veggies have been swiped by her kids to stop the rumble in their tummies. 

"There are numerous studies that indicate that with the right diet, bodies perform better," said this mom who has reduced her daily medication based on dietary choices. 

The changes that can be made through diet are just short of miraculous, she said.  "If you have an allergy, it impacts your whole body and even people who have arthritis, it could be an allergy. I was interested to learn how I could make myself feel better through nutrition." Frequent battles with bronchitis, among other issues, led her to this new perspective on food. 

Even Voigt's children, 3 and 7 years old, get in on the act. "My daughter went to a friend's house the other day and the mom gave her crying son a lollipop. My daughter shared with the mom that the snack is just going to make the child feel tired later on. My daughter is starting to get it — she wants to feel good for the rest of the day, too.

"I include a lot of little things for lunch like carrots, cucumbers and olives," she said.  "I'm also really big on grass-fed meat. My daughter loves spaghetti and doesn't like eggs. So, in order for her to have veggies for breakfast, I make her spaghetti with vegetables like eggplant and zucchini,  and she loves it.  I'm not big on cereal and breakfast bars."

Another favorite in Voigt's household is quinoa.

So, next time my toddler acts up, I'm going to think back to the diet. Is that the cause of the temper tantrum of the day?