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Raising Healthy Eaters and Active Children

In the United States today, we are obsessed with dieting; yet, as a nation, we are getting larger each year. In fact, one in five children in the United States is considered overweight. Parents often feel helpless or confused about how to prevent eating problems. Thankfully, there are many ways parents can foster healthy attitudes about eating, nutrition, and exercise.

10 Ways Parents Can Promote Healthy Eating and Exercise Habits

1. Eat Together. This is perhaps the most important way to foster healthy attitudes about food in your children. Create mealtimes that are happy and involve conversation and laughter as well as good nutrition. Keep mealtimes free of stressful nagging and criticism.
   
    
2. Be a Good Role Model. Take a good look at your own eating and exercise habits. Children learn best from example.

Eat Breakfast — Children who eat breakfast are more attentive and learn more efficiently in school.

3. Offer Healthy Foods. Making healthy foods available to your child will help your child learn to like these foods. Keep only foods in your house that you want your child to eat.
   
    
4. No Foods are Taboo. Do not make a big deal about "bad" foods. Allow children to eat what they want at birthday parties, school outings, and other special occasions. They will learn that birthday cake, cookies, and pop are eaten on occasion and that these foods can fit into an overall healthy diet.
   
    
5. Let Children Decide How Much to Eat. Research has shown that children whose parents are less controlling of their food intake are better able to regulate food intake themselves. Remember that a child is smaller than you and needs much smaller portions. A good rule is to serve children 1 to 6 years of age a tablespoon of food for each year of age.
   
    
6. Help Your Child Identify Hunger and Fullness. By letting your children decide when they want more and when they have had enough, you are teaching them to recognize the internal cues of hunger and fullness. These internal cues will help them regulate their food intake and weight for life.
   
    
7. Let Children Decide What to Eat. By having healthy foods in the house and offering a variety of foods at meal times, a parent has provided a healthy food environment that allows children to decide what to eat. This is a wonderful way to eliminate tension and conflict that can arise when trying to force a child to eat and controlling what a child eats.
   
    
8. Avoid Using Food as a Bribe or Reward. Let food remain food — a source or nourishment and enjoyment. Instead of food rewards, give your child the gift of spending special one-on-one time with you or allow your child to choose a special activity as a reward.
   
    
9. Offer a Variety of Nutritious Foods at Regular Intervals. Have regular meals and snacks. Keep in mind that your children may need to eat more often than you do, since they often eat smaller amounts at a meal or snack and they are growing.
   
    
10. Practice Normal Eating. Normal eating promotes regular eating habits — typically three meals a day and snacks to satisfy hunger. It is regulated mostly by internal signals of hunger, appetite, and satiety. Normal eating does NOT include overeating or undereating, dieting, or skipping meals. Normal eating enhances feelings of well-being and nurtures good health, energy, and healthy growth and development.

Parenting and Evaluation

A September 1998 report, "Family is Key to Treating Childhood Obesity," from the American Academy of Pediatrics, notes that parenting skills are the foundation for successful treatment of childhood obesity. A committee of pediatric obesity experts recommends early evaluation followed by treatment that focuses on healthy eating and increased physical activity. Their recommendations included 1) childhood obesity should be viewed as a chronic disease that can be treated, and 2) treatment should involve all family members and caregivers.

Parenting skills needed for successful treatment of obesity include:

• Using praise to foster and maintain change in the child's behavior;
• Using physical activity and time with parents to reward desired behavior rather than using food as a reward;
• Establishing daily family meal and snack times offering only healthy options; and
• Asking children to "reward" parents for changes in the parents' behavior.

The committee advocates treatment that institutes gradual, targeted, and permanent changes, and recommends that families derive support from a variety of health professionals, including physicians, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, psychologists, and counselors.

Food and Nutrition Information Center — Government-sponsored food and nutrition information.

Ellyn Satter — Books for parents, teaching materials, and workshops on healthy eating for children.