Puddings are available in a couple of methods. There’s the boxed variety of pudding, which you add few ingredients and actually cook. Then, there’s the product that’s been processed to the max with no cooking required at all. As you would imagine, the more processed the item, the more you can be assured there’re no healthy nutrients left.

Pudding is simple to make from scratch and so yummy. You’ll want to try this heavenly vanilla pudding. It can be found in my book: Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater. It takes just about the same amount of time as making one from a box mix. There’s some sugar in this recipe, although, it’s not the first ingredient and it’s loaded with healthful whole foods like milk and eggs.

In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of corn starch or arrowroot. Whisk in 3 cups of whole milk. While stirring, heat over medium heat until it comes to a soft boil. Cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Then, remove from the heat. Pour one cup of the milk mixture into a bowl and stir in 4 beaten eggs. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook to a near soft boil. Lower the heat and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in 1½ teaspoons of vanilla. Pour pudding into serving dishes.

I love to serve pudding warm during the cooler months. During the warmer months cover the pudding with plastic wrap and cool before serving. I hope you enjoyed carving up the food myth that Americans eat better than the rest of the world, as much as I did. We can eat better, when we become myth-busters and incorporate real food into our diets.

(This recipe is in Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.)