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Be a Nutrition Role Model
Five tips for raising healthy eaters
What kind of snack do your kids reach for when they get home from school? If you’re like many parents, you probably shake your head as they grab junk food instead of more nutritious choices, but you don’t know how to change their habits. It turns out, the best way to influence them might be to modify your own behavior.
“Parents are the very first teachers for their kids; they set the stage for eating habits,” says Connie Evers, M.S., R.D., author of How to Teach Nutrition to Kids and creator of NutritionforKids.com. In fact, when the American Dietetic Association surveyed children, the majority of them cited their parents as their strongest role models. That means you can’t just talk the healthy talk, you have to walk the healthy walk! Here are five ways to be a good nutrition role model.
Eat Together
Research shows that families who eat meals together at home tend to eat healthier, says nutritionist Tara Gidus, M.S., R.D. (DietDiva.net). “And even if it isn’t always the healthiest meal, there are still emotional benefits to eating together.” Some research shows that family meals may even reduce the incidence of eating disorders in kids.Having meals together helps establish a routine, and parents can maintain a little more control over what their kids are eating, Evers says. There’s a lot of talk of unhealthy school lunches, she says, but that only accounts for about 20% of kids’ calories—the rest is at home. (Click here for ideas about how to make family meals in a flash.)
Minimize Food Rewards
It’s unrealistic to never use food as a reward, but try to minimize it, Gidus suggests. Substitute stickers, point systems, outings or other rewards in place of ice cream and candy. The opposite is true as well, so be careful about using food to console, or of taking food away for bad behavior. “Try not to connect food to emotion,” Gidus says. Keep in mind that little eyes see all (even when you think they’re not looking), so watch your own emotional eating.Teach Moderation
When it comes to portion control, visual cues can be very helpful: Put snacks in bowls (instead of eating out of the bag); show kids what a handful looks like; or divide the plate into quarters, and show how much of each food goes in each section. (You could even get creative and use something like asparagus spears as your dividers!). When it comes to sweet treats or fried foods, Gidus suggests talking about them as “occasional foods” rather than “always foods.” Remember, kids can learn to regard healthy foods, like fruit or whole-grain crackers and hummus, as treats if you frame it that way early on.Encourage Variety
It can take as many as 10 exposures to a food before a child accepts it, Evers says. “It helps when kids see their parents eating the same things they’re eating,” she says. “There could be exceptions, of course — like if you’re a vegetarian (or semi–vegetarian), for example, and opt not to eat a meat dish (That can actually be a great opportunity for teaching about making decisions.)” Remember that even with prodding, kids ultimately won’t like everything—just as you don’t like everything. Give them a little leeway, since forcing a food isn’t likely to endear the child to it. Gidus suggests letting each family member specify one or two foods that he or she doesn’t ever have to eat.Get Kids Involved
Turn the grocery store into a classroom! Teach kids to read labels through scavenger hunt–type tasks, like finding a cereal with at least 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving, Gidus suggests. Involve them in meal planning and preparation, with age–appropriate jobs. “Even little ones can do things like tear lettuce,” Evers says. Don’t forget to take them with you to farmers’ markets or, better yet, let them be farmers. “Letting kids grow their own garden plots is a great way to get them to eat veggies,” Evers says.Rate this article:
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Fruits and veggies also offer great teachable moments for little kids about shapes, colors, tastes, etc. Example: What child doesn't love the scent of a good round orange being peeled? You can count the sections of the orange, talk about parts making up the whole, do really simple math (if I have 4 parts and eat 2 how many are left? sort of stuff), all while enjoying a healthy snack together. It's fun and little kids love it!