Getting Children To Eat Properly

2008 January 28 by: Scott

Parenting children to eat a proper diet is not easy. Especially with all the fast food advertising our children experience on a day to day basis. One national news report after another is reporting that our children are eating the wrong foods. Childhood obesity is a national concern. Many research studies coming from our college universities are finding that one in five children are over weight. Federally funded school lunch programs are taking the cookies, donuts and pop off the menus and replacing them with fruits, vegetables and water. Serving French fries are becoming a thing of the past. This article published by Safer Child, Inc. will help you, the parent children, begin to consider your child’s diet and how it affects their life.

Don’t miss breakfast: Breakfast is a critical meal for you and your children — it wakes up the body and provides fuel for the day. Studies show that children who miss breakfast (teens, too!) have a harder time concentrating in school, and they’re more likely to eat poorly later. Get up a few minutes earlier if you must, but make sure your children have food in their bellies before they leave the house. Try to serve breakfasts that include fruit, protein and fiber. Even if food is served at school or daycare, give your children something healthy to nibble on before they go. Sharing meals together is not just nutritionally sound, it’s also an important part of family cohesion.

The No Thank You Bite: Having trouble getting your toddler to eat the proper foods? Our child was saved from a lifetime of cereal by the “No Thank You Bite,” taught to us by a baby-sitter. It became a rule to eat at least one bite of everything on her plate, and gradually, she discovered that some of them weren’t so bad. At first, it wasn’t easy to enforce the rule — we had a few timeouts and lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth — but we stuck to our guns, and she wasn’t allowed to refuse the No Thank You Bite (except for dessert). Eventually, the rule was set for her, and she stopped fighting it. It also helps to introduce new foods every three or four days — this way, your child is used to giving new things a try. Don’t force more than a bite, but do insist on one.

Remember the Food Pyramid and the Five Food Groups? They’re still important. Your children must eat every day from the five food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, meat or other protein, and dairy products. Many families are too light on fruit and vegetables, but nutritional experts now say everyone should make fruits and vegetables about half of what they eat every day. Juices (even if they’re 100% juice) aren’t a good substitute for fruits — they’re too high in calories and sugar and too low in nutrients and fiber. You can serve fruits and vegetables (not just potatoes!!) as finger food, with dips, cooked in meals, mixed in yogurt, on top of cereal, in soups, on sandwiches, on pizza, in casserole dishes. Turn dinner into a salad bar. Turn it into a picnic. Mix it up and try fruits and vegetables you’ve never tried before. Show your children that you eat fruits and vegetables with every meal (if you don’t, they won’t!), and that you’re willing to try new ones. Give them a small selection and let them choose.