BE A TASTY ROLE MODEL ...LEARN TO WALK AND TALK AT THE SAME TIME

- C&J Nutrition, Contributing Writers

There are many things that we make an effort to impart onto kids, like being kind to others, respecting the environment, having an interest in learning and discovering, and using good manners.  On the contrary, we do our best to steer clear of the habits that we do not want them to pick up.  Then, there are the things that you do that you don’t notice – like your mannerisms or quirky preferences – until you hear your child say something exactly the way that you do, or notice that your son walks just like his dad. 

As dietitians we see firsthand another influence that parents have on their children -- eating habits.  In fact, general health habits like seeing your doctor for check-ups, regular dental appointments, staying physically active, AND eating a healthful diet are all things that your kids will value, if you do.  Parents often ask us how to get their children to try a wider variety of food and our first question to them is always “What are your own food preferences and eating habits?”  The best way to get your children to eat healthfully is to eat well yourself.  It truly is a great example of how walking the walk is as important as talking the talk.  This applies to pregnant moms too – research shows that your diet during pregnancy might affect your baby’s taste preferences and health when he or she is a toddler!

Talk the talk

We could just say “Eat the way you want your kids to eat,” but that is only half of the equation (as if that’s not a big enough challenge!)  The way that you talk about food (either positively or negatively) can play a huge role in your child’s food choices and eating habits.   Saying things like “That goes straight to my thighs” or “I have to go work that off at the gym” are phrases that may convey a negative connotation or diet mentality about eating.  The same goes for certain rituals around eating such as family meals (a good thing) vs. separate mommy and daddy foods and meals times (a negative message.)   As we mentioned before, it’s important to start changing your habits early.  Although making a complete 180 is not going to happen overnight, choosing one or two changes to focus on until they are “habits” will lead to important changes for your family.  Below are some of our main tips for walking the walk AND talking the talk. 

Tasty Tips for putting your best “food” forward:

1.  Eat regular meals (3 per day with 1 or 2 snacks) – at least one with your child(ren):  It might seem a bit obvious, but in order to keep your energy stable, your mood happy, and your brain functioning at its peak performance level, you’ve got to eat at regular intervals throughout the day.  This means three meals and at least one snack or four or five mini-meals.  Your kids will get the message that eating regularly is the norm and be more likely to get into the habit of fueling themselves throughout the day rather than going for long periods without food and then gorging themselves.  Eating as a family – at least one meal each day – gives you the chance to display all of your fabulous eating habits, is correlated with healthier meals and more nutrition-knowledgeable kids, and strengthens family communication.        

2.  Eat balanced meals consisting of wholesome foods:  We know, this is sort of a vague statement – so stay tuned for detail on exactly how to balance meals and snacks in future blogs.  The bottom line is that you can’t thrive on coffee with skim milk as your primary meal choice.  On the same token, a bag of pretzels is not a balanced lunch (or dinner… or breakfast).   It’s inevitable that some meals and snacks will be on-the-go and pieced together, but make an effort to include whole grain sources of carbohydrate or starchy veggies, lean protein, healthy fat, and veggies/fruit at most meals.  This sets a good example for your children, and gives you the energy you need to keep up with your kids too! 

3.  Eat a variety of healthful foods including lots of fruits and vegetables:  When YOU eat a variety of healthful foods, it’s likely that there are going to be a wide array of healthful foods around the house.  A fridge stocked with veggies, the fruit bowl will be piled high, cupboards with an assortment of whole grain cereals, crackers, bread, nuts… and that means that there is a variety of wholesome foods for everyone in the family to choose from.  If healthful foods are available, you can confidently empower your kids to choose their own snacks (a win-win situation).  It’s nice when the snowball effect works in a positive direction!    

4.  Eat slowly and take moderate amounts of food:  There’s a method of eating called Intuitive Eating, which is all about using all of your senses before and during eating and learning to listen to your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues.  This teaches kids the importance of enjoying a meal and helps minimize any sense of anxiety at mealtime.  It also lets little eaters know that it’s ok to go back for seconds, or leave some food on their plates, as long as the decision is based on their physical feelings of hunger of satisfaction – leading us to our next point…. 

5.  Use food for nourishment and to stop hunger – not to modify, reward, or punish behavior.  It’s great to include treats in a balanced diet – everyone needs the occasional piece of chocolate or ice cream cone.  But, be aware of the reason you give for having the treat.  Many of us can relate to this with recollections of our parents forcing us to sit at the table until we finished our veggies.  This tip also applies to rewards, too.  Using food as rewards and punishments confuses kids and often has the opposite effect that parents are looking for.  For instance, if things like ice cream or fast food are rewards, then those foods become “good” foods.  By making your kids sit at the table until they’ve eaten their broccoli (because broccoli is “good”,) broccoli becomes associated with punishment.  So now, you’ve got junk food = “good” food/rewards, and veggies = punishment).  The bottom line: The next time you take the kids for ice cream, or devour some dark chocolate, do it because it’s part of enjoying a moderate and healthful diet – not because you’re being good or bad.

6.  Experiment with new foods, and offer them to your children, but don’t force them:  Try new foods.  Being an adventurous eater doesn’t mean your children will like (or even try) all of the foods that you do.  But new foods expose the whole family to unknown flavors and textures, which means they may be more accepting of a wider range of foods in the future.  Plus, a greater range of foods means more variety of vitamins, minerals, and the ever-important phyto-nutrients (special compounds in plants that have protective benefits to humans). 

7.  Be positive about food: Try talking about meals and snacks, as well as individual foods, in terms of what the foods can do for you.  For instance, “Breakfast gives us energy to play all day” or “Yogurt helps make our muscles and bones grow strong” sounds a lot better than “Finish your cereal” or “Eat that yogurt”. Avoid saying things like “I’m being bad” by eating a certain food or focusing on food as the enemy.   Involving your children in the process of food by cooking with them, taking them grocery shopping, and letting them choose meal s, allows them to see that you take pleasure in the process of meals and not just in eating.