Health & Family
From the earliest age, children do their best to mimic the actions of their parents, copying their mannerisms, repeating their speech and even following in their footsteps. Unfortunately, there do exist certain behaviors that a parent may not want their child to duplicate. For example, a parent’s poor eating habits can leave a long-lasting negative impression on a child.
Healthy eating is important for everyone, but especially for children throughout their growing years. In order to help your child eat well, you need to eat healthy meals yourself.
Be a role model for your kids. If your children see you enjoy meals that are nutritious and delicious, they are more likely to make healthy food choices themselves. Think of the health of the whole family, and make good eating a team effort.
The following suggestions will help guide you and your family to a healthy lifestyle:
Involve the entire family in planning and preparing meals. Cooking can be an enjoyable activity for many children. Kids may be more willing to eat what they help prepare, and cooking meals can help a child develop a positive attitude about nutrition.
Eat meals at set times during the day. Plan snacks at specific times as part of a nutritious diet. Uncontrolled snacking may lead to overeating. Instead of junk food and sugar, offer children nutritious snacks, such as low fat pudding, reduced fat American cheese, string cheese, fresh fruit slices or peanut butter and crackers.
Eat a variety of foods. Variety is the spice of life! When food shopping, be sure to select foods from each of the food groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.
Tailor portion sizes to needs. Children usually need smaller portions, as opposed to the super sizes that are so frequently offered in this day and age.
Plan ahead. If you wait until the last minute to decide what to eat, you’ll probably grab something that is high in fat and sodium. Use sugar and fat in moderation. It’s not necessary to cut sugar and fat out entirely. Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. However, fat should not be restricted in the diets of children under 2 years of age.
Guide your family’s choices rather than dictate them. Have a variety of healthy food selections available in the house. Try to keep fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. Celery, carrots, radishes, cucumbers and broccoli with a low fat dip are good with meals or as snacks.
Discourage eating while watching TV. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness and may lead to overeating.
Try not to use food as a reward or punishment. Withholding food as a punishment may cause children to worry that they will not get enough food. As a result, they may overeat whenever they have a chance. Similarly, when foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may think that these foods are more valuable than other foods. Encourage your child to eat a healthy lunch at school. Review the school menu with your child and discuss options. Meals should taste good and be good for you too.
Plan activities that provide the whole family with exercise and enjoyment. Activities like walking, bicycling or swimming can be fun for the whole family.
If you child is overweight, stay away from diets that are restrictive. A very low calorie diet may be harmful to a child’s health and interfere with his/her growth and development. Restricted diets also send a message to your child that you are not happy with his/her size, which can be viewed as rejection. When food is restricted, children tend to overeat whenever they have a chance. Children need to learn to make healthy food choices that they can stick to throughout their lives.
If you need to make changes in your family’s eating and exercise habits, but are finding it difficult, a registered dietitian (RD) may be able to help. Ask your physician to refer you to an RD, or call the National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) at 800-366-1655 and ask for the name of an RD in you area. You can also go to the ADA website, www.eatright.org, and enter your zip code to find the names of the RDs in you area.
Most importantly, remember that children learn best by example. If you eat a variety of foods and maintain an active lifestyle, you will help your children establish healthy lifestyle habits that they can follow for the rest of their lives.
Joan Stewart, RD, is a Clinical Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Browns Mills, NJ, where she assesses and educates patients on nutrition and heart-healthy eating. She holds
