Healthy Food Choice - a Struggle for Parents

Sometimes getting children to eat right and learn healthy food choices is a struggle for parents. The problem is the enticing fast-food restaurant commercials that target kids. Also, you have billboards, play equipment, music jingles that are catchy, and toys. All these things add to the nostalgia of eating out.
 

Try to remember that studies on nutrition show that parents who consume healthy foods from the five basic food groups on a daily basis are mover likely to get their children to make better choices. This, in turn, will reduce the chances of developing obesity and many other health risks. Introducing foods from the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and dairy) should be done at an early age but it is never too late to start eating healthier.

• Get your kids involved. Even though they try your patience, you may find that letting them help out in the kitchen can be a good thing. By getting them involved, they are more interested in eating what they helped to create.

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• Cut down on junk food. The slang ‘junk food’ comes from the fact that these items are high on calories and low on nutrition. They make your kids gain weight while offering nothing in the way of substance. Don’t have them around.
• Be a good role model. Our kids look up to you and will eat what you eat. If you have hamburgers and fries every day, they will want that too. Be honest about the food messages you are sending.
• Allow treats occasionally. It is OK to let your child have candy and soda on occasion. Make it a special treat, not an everyday thing. Allow them to go out to McDonald’s once a month or so.
• Make eating fun. Make smiley-faces on pancakes and give foods nicknames. For instance, broccoli is ‘little trees’ and spinach is ‘get-strong food’. Some children find it fun to create names for each thing they eat.
• Breakfast is important. Sneak in whole-grain into pancake batter. Put applesauce in muffins. Choose Raisin Bran cereal over Fruit Loops. Add fruit to their cereal. Bacon, eggs, sausage, and ham are always good breakfast choices.
• Avoid extreme measure. Eliminating all treats and pleasures from your child’s diet is extreme. It is fine for him to eat an ice-cream sundae (think protein) or have popcorn (think fiber). Knowledge is the key to deciding what treats are completely empty and what treats are fine.

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• Don’t be ridiculous. Try to remember that other kids eat off the kids’ menu at restaurants and they have turned out just fine. Healthy eating does not mean cutting all cheese sandwiches and pizza out of your child’s life, after all, he is a kid only once.
• Praise healthy food choices. When your child picks a food to eat that is healthy, give him praise. Tell him you are so proud that he is becoming a big boy and eating right. Your children are always out for your approval, after all.
• Don’t use food as a reward. Try not to use cookies and candies as rewards. Let them be occasional treats, instead. Reward your child with something fun, like a trip to the park or arcade.