Twelve Principles of Nutrition
		1	Have clear rules about eating, and follow these rules.
		2	Have parents decide what foods will be offered.
		3	Know the basic food groups, and serve meals that include foods from each group.
		4	Know healthy serving sizes.
		5	Provide homemade meals.
		6	Practice strategic menu planning.
		7	Eat meals together as a family.
		8	Avoid “tech at the table.”
		9	Be a role model for your child.
		10	Trust your child’s natural appetite.
		11	Don't use food to reward or punish.
		12	Provide healthy snacks.

To expand your conversation with families about their child’s eating habits, see “Nutrition Principles for Parents" and "A Parent's Guide to Healthy Eating for Children." These basic nutrition principles may sound easy enough, but can present a true challenge for parents in what some are calling our obesigenic environment.

You can empower families by helping them identify areas of high calorie intake, giving them specific steps to take toward change, and encouraging them to take small steps, rather than trying to do everything overnight.

Realize that some families may feel trapped by previous failures with dieting, or have issues related to food or body image. For some parents, feeding a child is so much a  part of  nurturing that  they cannot easily set limits, even when their child’s weight gain is a concern.  Discuss whether making changes may bring on behavioral problems with children, and how to deal with these concerns.

Personal PHITness plan
Communities across Iowa are responding to concerns about childhood nutrition with weight management, health promotion, and recreation programs.

A pilot program created by the Center for Disabilities and Development at the Children’s Hospital of Iowa is among these. Called Pediatric Health, Intervention and Treatment, or PHIT, this weight management program is for children 5-12 years old. It is family focused and multidisciplinary, and emphasizes healthy lifestyle education and physical activity.

Unlike many such programs, PHIT includes an innovative home intervention component. Coaches visit the family every other week to help them practice what they learn. The coach and the family work together to address positive lifestyle changes, such as daily planning and dealing with behavior challenges. Hands-on activities include measuring foods, planning menus, preparing shopping lists, and making meals.

An 8-week PHIT class is planned for this spring. For more information or to make referrals, contact Anne Tabor, MPH, RD/LD at anne-tabor@uiowa.edu, 319-356-1322.