Build healthy eating habits in children
Develop good nutrition awareness early
Nutrition education must begin early, according to experts. Research shows that the disease process starts at a young age. "Adults don’t suddenly get heart disease at age 40 or 45. The disease is a process, not an event," says Anne Dubner, RD, a nutrition consultant in Houston, and a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association.
Therefore, patient education managers should target parents of young children, teaching them how to help their kids develop healthy eating habits. "Rather than teaching about diets, vitamins, and minerals, parents should teach by doing. Role modeling establishes good habits," says Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.
Families should eat a balanced diet and exercise together so children can learn by example. He recommends that parents get a copy of the food pyramid and teach kids to eat the recommended quantities of foods in each category. Fruits, vegetables, and dairy products are the markers of diet quality, says Ayoob. When they are missing, the child’s diet tends to be bad.
However, when teaching children about healthy foods, parents should not label foods as "good" or "bad" that gives the wrong impression about food, says Dubner. Instead, help small children distinguish between the food that is fun to eat and will make them big and strong, and the food that is fun to eat but won’t make them big and strong, she says.
"Parents should never use food as a reward, telling children that if they don’t finish their peas they can’t have dessert. That is telling the child that peas are bad and dessert is good," says Dubner. It is more important to help children understand that peas make them big and strong, and ice cream does not. Small children want to be healthy so they are able to play, she explains.
It’s not a good idea for parents to make children think that sweets are more desirable than fruits and vegetables, says Ayoob. Often, parents will let children pick out the dessert in the grocery store or a special snack. Parents should have children pick out the vegetable for dinner, as well.
This tactic works well, because the more in-volved children are in the shopping and preparation process, the more likely they are to eat the food, says Dubner. "Let children be involved in the food preparation process as soon as they are cognitively able to do it," she advises.
Ayoob agrees. "Children will learn by doing, and that is the best way to teach kids. Hands-on is best," he says. Expose children to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables so they know which ones they like. It’s OK to like carrots and hate string beans, but it is not OK to avoid whole food groups all together. Ayoob suggests that parents do taste tests to get children excited about good food. For example, they might line up different types of apples and let the children taste each one to see how they differ.
Examine eating habits
To be healthy, children should eat a balanced diet and be more physically active. If a child is overweight, it is usually a matter of imbalance, says Ayoob. Either they are not getting enough exercise or they are consuming too many calories. It is best to address the issue when the child is 10 pounds overweight than to wait until he or she gains 50 pounds. "It is not a cosmetic issue. They can experience major health benefits by reducing their weight by 5% to 10%," he says.
Even if a child is not overweight, it is important to look at his or her eating habits. Even slender children can be prime candidates for developing heart disease or osteoporosis. "Kids aren’t getting enough calcium, and osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences," says Ayoob.
While nutrition is important, exercise plays a big role in good health. Children come home from school and sit in front of the TV or the computer when they need recreational play. Exercise not only helps burn calories, but helps kids avoid excess food consumption. "When kids are physically active, they aren’t focused on food as an activity. It’s good that they enjoy more than just food in life," says Ayoob.
Sources
For more information about teaching parents how to teach children about good nutrition, contact:
• Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, Spokesman, American Dietetic Association, 216 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606-6995. Telephone: (800) 366-1655 or (312) 899-0040. Web site: www.eatright.org.
• Anne Dubner, RD, Nutrition Consultant, Spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association, P.O. Box 440011, Hous-ton, TX 77244-0011. Telephone: (713) 937-7191. Web site: www.foodcop.com.
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