Nurturing Good Habits
For a child, family eating patterns and parental pressures can make the difference between a healthy body and a sensible outlook on meals or a lifetime of bad eating habits. Experts recommend that parents establish good habits and pass them on to their kids.
* Don’t restrict eating by making certain foods off-limits; it’s a sure way to make those foods more attractive. Instead, serve a variety of foods, increase access to whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and reduce access to convenience foods and fast foods.
* Don’t tell children to clean their plates. Even if children elsewhere in the world are going hungry, forcing yours to eat doesn’t help anyone. Instead, encourage children to become more adventurous by trying new foods. (But don’t chastise them if they don’t sample everything.)
* Don’t put children on a diet unless recommended by a health or nutrition professional. Although the adult route to a healthy body weight may be dieting, diets aren’t as good for developing children. Because they’re still growing, kids risk being undernourished if they cut their food intake. Experts say most overweight children should be allowed to grow into their weight, not reduce it.
* Don’t use food to regulate moods. Parents should reward children with love, attention and their time, not food. It’s not the bowl of ice cream that children appreciate at the end of a trying day; it’s attention from Mom or Dad.
* Do realize that three meals a day may work for adults, but children need snacks as well as meals.
* Do try to serve meals to the whole family that meet heart-healthy guidelines; no more than 30% of daily calories should come from fat.
* Do try to introduce healthy foods. Children may reject a new food (broccoli, for instance) multiple times before they begin to eat it; parents shouldn’t assume that initial rejection is permanent.
* Do become educated about the food pyramid as well as recommended serving sizes, and recognize that even children’s restaurant portions are often two to three times more than they need.
* Do make exercise a part of daily life; it’s the best way to sustain physical activity. Try having your children walk to and from school.
* Do limit television viewing. Studies have shown that children fill free time with more active pursuits and feel that they’re making their own choices.
* Do join your children outdoors for fresh air. Once outside, all of you are less likely to be sitting still or focusing your activities around food. And if you’re with your children, they are likely to be safer.
And remember: Experts say the majority of overweight adults were not overweight children.
Dr. Robert Whitaker, a pediatrician at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, advises overweight parents not to be too hard on themselves.
“It’s not inevitable that their kids will be overweight. But it is their responsibility to help figure out how to raise their child [in a culture that continues to contribute] to obesity,” says Whitaker.
