healthykids


RAISING HEALTHY EATERS


by Jeannette Bessinger and Tracee Yablon Brenner


America is in the midst of an epidemic of childhood obesity that is creating a health crisis for our kids.


A


ccording to the Nestlé Nutri- tion Institute’s often referenced Feeding Infant and Toddler


Study (FITS), many U.S. children are eating a poor quality diet too high in calories and too low in nutrition. About one in three older babies and toddlers are not eating a single vegeta- ble on a given day, and eating habits don’t improve as children get older. Today’s typical American diet is clearly not working. According to a benchmark National Cancer Institute study, only 1 percent of all children between the ages of 2 and 19 years met all requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide pyramid. Sixteen percent of the children met none of the pyramid recommendations. In 2010, the American Dietetic Associa- tion (ADA) reported that upwards of 23 million U.S. children and adolescents are now overweight or obese and cur- rently at risk for other health problems associated with obesity. That’s nearly one in three children.


Early Training


Nationwide efforts to address these health issues have demonstrated that early prevention is easier than interven- tion after problems have taken hold. Parents can begin cultivating healthy eating habits in their children right from


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“The first three years of a child’s life are a window of op- portunity for forming


lifelong, healthy eating habits.”


Dr. William Sears, author, professor of pediatrics at the University of Cali- fornia-Irvine School of Medicine and founder of AskDrSears.com


the cradle. Establishing a few key pa- rental practices can have long-ranging benefits for the family.


The first tip is to keep a neutral attitude about food, even if it’s coun- terintuitive. When introducing solids to a child, it is helpful to present the foods in a relaxed, neutral way, with no pressure to eat them. As the youngster grows, avoid labeling certain foods as good, bad or even healthy to sidestep the response, “This is good for me? I don’t like it!”


Parents do well to remain patient. It can take up to 15 presentations be- fore a child is willing to try something new, and then several tastings before they decide they like it.


It also helps to offer a variety of flavors from a very young age to famil- iarize children with many dimensions of tastes and textures. Though babies


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initially prefer sweet tastes above all others, as youngsters grow, their prefer- ences tend toward what is familiar. When introduced early on to variety and consistently offered healthy whole foods, including all the veggies, these come to comprise their preferred diet.


Continuing Practices


How to Train Children’s Palates from the Cradle On


It’s always wise to offer food to children only when they are actually hungry. When kids eat a continuous flow of simple carbohydrates, such as white crackers and sweetened cereals or even 100 percent juices, it keeps their blood sugar levels slightly elevated, which can create problems.


Nutritionists see firsthand how such a diet prevents the true hunger signal from turning on fully, which in turn can cause little ones to act finicky about certain foods, especially vegeta- bles. It can also prompt them to eat less of more nutritionally balanced foods on their plate at mealtimes.


In children who have any type of blood sugar sensitivity, the more sweet foods they eat, the more they will tend to want. If a parent wants to offer a sweet snack, include some additional fiber, protein or healthy fat to balance it, because these nutrients act as a time-


Protective Food


Practices n 80 percent rule: Don’t worry too much about what your child is eating outside the home. If s/he is eating a varied diet of high quality whole foods at home 80 percent of the time, everyone’s on the right track.


n Make the connection: Help a child understand the relationship between our food supply and the natural world. Visit an organic farm or help young ones start a garden.


n The pristine pantry: Put the child in charge of what foods they actually eat at a meal while parents stay in charge of the foods available. Keep unhealthy foods out of the house.


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