Kids and Nutrition

 
Author: Debbie DeSpirt 
Published on: November 6, 2001
 
 
 
 

Halloween is over once more. The house is filled with treats from your trick and treater bags and the leftover stash from giving treats to the neighbourhood kids. How do we instill great eating habits with our little ones when there is hundreds of fun and great tasting treats in the marketplace and now in our homes.
The first step in our home is to teach our child the difference between a good food and a bad food. We tell our children the affect good food and bad food has on the body. We try and do this through stories and enforce the idea when the child has an upset stomach or is especially moody.

The second step is to have your child live by example. You will not instill great eating habits in your child if you are allowed to have a chocolate bar because you say so and the child is not. Everyone deserves a treat but limit the amount and go for quality snacks that tastes great.

The third step is to have a food journal. Keep a record of your childs food intake on the fridge. Tell your child how many non nutritious snacks are allowed in a day. Once the limit is reached no more snacks.

The fourth step is limit the amount of non nutritious snacks in the home. Have the snacks hidden from sight. Keep the Halloween candy in the cold room rather than in the kitchen where there is a constant reminder of the candy.

I will leave you with a few sites that have excellent tools to help you keep a handle on the food that your child eats on a daily basis.

Food Guide for Children

Food Guide Pyramid: Print a copy and place on the fridge. Keep a record of their weekly food intake with the spreadsheet. I put in a candy section, to see how much sweets my child is eating on a weekly basis.

Kids Nutrition: Great site for all your nutritional needs. Enjoy browsing.