Spring 2008

Nutrition Principles for Parents

1

Have clear rules about eating, including regular times for meals and snacks, and stick to them.

Eat and drink only at regular meal and snack times. Kids like structure. Grazing throughout the day, whether on drinks or food, depresses normal appetite, adds extra calories, and can lead to poor nutrition.

2

Parents, not kids, decide what foods will be served as meals and snacks.

Kids don’t understand nutrition; parents need to offer healthy choices.

3

Know the basic food groups, and serve meals that include foods from each food group.

Kids are more likely to get the nutrients they need when every meal includes: 1. Whole grains 2. Fruits 3. Vegetables 4. Milk  5. Meats or beans
 

4

Know what makes a healthy serving size.

Children learn to overeat by the age of 5 if consistently given oversized portions of food. At each meal, provide foods from each food group in these serving sizes:

• Toddlers - 1 tablespoon per year of age

• Older children - ½ to 1 cup

5

Provide homemade meals.

The food industry makes us believe that cooking is difficult, time consuming, and expensive. In fact, homemade meals can be easy to prepare, healthier, and less costly. They provide:

• Fewer calories

• Better nutrition

• More variety

6

Practice strategic menu planning.

Make only enough of the main dish for one serving per person; provide extra servings of fruits and vegetables.

7

Eat meals as a family, with one menu for everyone.

Shared meals teach children healthy eating habits, as well as table manners and social skills.

8

No tech at the table -- TV, cell phones, PDAs, hand-held games.

People eat less when they attend to their food, and they communicate better without interruptions.

9

Be a role model for your child.

If you eat healthy foods, your kids will eat healthy foods. Don’t overindulge in snacks, or hide snack foods from kids -- this tells kids it’s OK to sneak food and be deceitful about eating.

10

Trust your child’s natural appetite.

Allow children to eat healthy foods until they feel full, so they satisfy their appetites, don’t overeat, and don’t sneak food. If you offer a balanced variety of foods, kids will eat appropriately over time.

11

Don’t use food to reward, comfort, or punish.

No candy bar for behaving in the grocery store, no extra snack when the team loses the game, no loss of dessert if you don’t clean your plate.

12

For snacks, provide small portions; use foods from the basic food groups.

Many snack foods are high in calories and low in nutrition; too much snacking, and kids won’t eat at mealtime.