In our fast-paced world, the speed offered by the fast-food drive-thru lane may be more appealing than an hour and a half spent navigating the crowded aisles of the grocery store.
Teaching our kids to be food-smart, though, is more important than ever.
Dr. Meghan Markovich, an internal medicine physician and pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians, gives us five tips for helping our kids learn healthy eating.
1. Remember the 5-2-1-0 plan.
In a nutshell, the 5-2-1-0 plan means that, each day, kids should have five servings of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of screen time, one hour of vigorous activity and zero sugared beverages like juice or soft drinks.
“I use 5-2-1-0 as a framework to talk about a lot of things,” Markovich said. “People are busy and need something simple. 5-2-1-0 is easy to remember, but hard to do.”
2. Don’t use unhealthy foods as rewards.
Another tip that’s easy to remember but hard to follow: try not to tell your kids things like, “If you eat all your green beans, you can have a cookie.”
Instead, Markovich advised, you should try to promote the meal itself. Sit down together as a family for mealtime and concentrate on the food in front of you, not on an unhealthy food that may be waiting afterward.
Also, don’t give your kids options outside of what you’re serving at mealtime. If they don’t eat it, you can allow them to leave the table, but if they’re hungry later, only offer them their uneaten meal.
3. Keep healthy foods handy.
The saying, “Out of sight, out of mind” works well here.
If you keep healthy foods high on the shelf or refrigerator, you ““ and your kids ““ probably won’t think of them when it’s snack time. Conversely, if you keep them in sight and, even better, at eye level, you’re more likely to grab for them when the kids are complaining they’re hungry.
4. Set limits.
It’s unrealistic to think your child is never going to have sweets ““ birthday parties certainly would be a lot less fun! ““ but limits are crucial. If your kid has a cookie after lunch, for example, then tell him or her, no dessert after dinner.
5. Praise good choices.
Praise is a wonderful motivator.
Markovich’s 3-year-old son love superheroes, so when he eats all of his vegetables, Markovich and her husband tell him he’s getting superhero muscles.
Teaching kids good nutrition isn’t always easy, but it will lead to healthier futures.
