Healthy Eating Tips for KidsAuthor / Source: Juliet Zuercher, RD and Dena Cabrera, Psy.D. , Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders Category: Addiction |
Kids today face different options for food and play than past generations. Abundant, inexpensive, tasty, unsupervised, and calorie but not nutrient-dense foods combine with sedentary entertainment choices and we end up with overweight kids. What can a parent do?
Top 10 Tips for Parents Who Want Healthy Kids
1. Be a good role model. Do not follow fad diets for weight loss; eat intuitively. Choose from a variety of foods that are tasty and satisfying. Eat when hungry; stop when not hungry.
2. Promote size acceptance. All bodies are shaped differently. This is part of the natural, genetic variety of our species! Fostering an environment of size acceptance for diverse shapes promotes a child’s self acceptance and well being. Body differences should be welcomed, not feared.
3. Use positive body language. Are you constantly talking about the weight you want to lose or how much better you think you would feel if you could just shed 10 more pounds? Do you comment often on others’ appearance and make judgments about them based on weight? Instead of these negative expressions, talk positively about your own body and you will model a healthy self-concept to your children.
4. Allow for freedom of choice within structure. When given the opportunity, children are wonderful intuitive eaters. The young ones have not learned the social definition of good and bad foods. They eat what they like and what sounds good to them. If given options of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, along with other foods, children will sometimes choose the grains, fruits, and vegetables (Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid Incapacitate Consumers and Contribute to Distorted Eating Attitudes and Behaviors, Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW, BCD). So provide food options for children with reason: one snack may be an apple with peanut butter or graham crackers with milk; another may be a cereal bar or two cookies.
5. Create a positive food environment. We know that children excel both emotionally and academically in environments where they feel safety and love (Your Child’s Weight, Helping without Harming, chapter 3, “Make family meals a priority”, Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW, BCD). The dinner table is perhaps the best venue for providing this environment. “Time spent with families at meals is more related to the psychological and academic success of preadolescents and adolescents than time spent in school, studying, church, playing sports, or doing art activities” (Hofferth, S.L. 2001. How American children spend their time. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 63, 295-308; Council of Economic Advisers to the President [CEAC]. 2000. Teens and their parents in the 21st Century: an examination of trends in teen behavior and the role of parental involvement.).
So make it a rule for the family to eat at least one meal together per day. Keep the conversation positive. The child will associate the context of the meal with positive feelings, promoting a healthy rather than a conflicted relationship with food.
6. Be aware of food allergies. Not all childhood food allergies will last a lifetime. Most will be outgrown. Provide opportunity for the child’s body to develop immunity to the proteins in allergenic foods by testing those with small doses. Otherwise, a child may carry unnecessary food restrictions into adulthood and this may inadvertently contribute to disordered eating or an eating disorder.
7. Be active. Limit “screen time”: television, computer, video games, text messaging, etc. Instead, build in family times that encourage an active lifestyle. Plan family vacations that include enjoyable activities: hiking, biking, roller blading, swimming, etc. Set clear expectations for the child’s chores; do not apologize for requiring the child to contribute to the household in this way. But take enough time to invent games while doing chores so that even routine activities become associated with fun and closeness.
8. Involve the child in menu planning. Ask about and include some of the child’s preferences when planning the weekly menu. Include the child in grocery shopping and meal preparation when possible. These are great teachable moments that foster empowerment around food choices rather than passivity.
9. Eat the same meal at dinner time. Resist the urge to make a special plate for the child who refuses to eat what is served. The parent decides what will be served and when; the child decides if s/he will eat, and if so, how much. This encourages the child to make good choices around food and increase variety; otherwise, the child’s food selection remains limited thus limiting nutritional adequacy.
10. Eat with balance, variety and moderation. Do not require the child to finish everything on his/her plate. Provide a variety of flavors, colors, textures, and aromas in food to expand the child’s food repertoire. Depending on the child’s age, portion food appropriately or let the child portion on his/her own. Small, frequent meals and snacks allow the body’s metabolism to work most efficiently.
Remuda Ranch offers Christian inpatient and residential programs for
individuals of all faiths suffering from eating or anxiety disorders. Each
patient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and
a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist,
Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each
patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive life. For more
information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit www.remudaranch.com.
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