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Parents have power
- they control the grocery shopping
and create the family's definition
of a meal. Even if they can't control
school lunches or keep kids from
blowing their allowance on chocolate
bars, they can set the rules for
what's eaten in the house and when.
- Don't even buy
it: Spare your kids (and yourself)
the temptation by not stocking
the house with chips, soda, doughnuts
and other junk foods.
- Portion control:
Think in terms of cups and half-cups.
If you do have ice cream, serve
it in small bowls.
- Keep the serving
bowls and platters off the table
to cut down on second helpings.
A little more thought will go
into it asking for seconds.
- Start cultivating
taste buds and eating habits as
early as possible. New parents
can use those first years, before
many children become pickier eaters
and hone the ability to argue,
to introduce healthy tastes. Offer
vegetables as the first course
when the child is most hungry.
- When out, NEVER
"supersize." Nobody
needs that much food, especially
your kids.
- Limit the locations:
Eat in the kitchen or dining room.
If kids can't eat in front of
the TV, they'll reduce mindless
munching (and maybe cut down on
TV, too!)
• Make them ask: Parents
have more control when kids know
they have to ask for a snack.
- Don't cook separate
"kids" meals: Youngsters
won't learn to like new tastes
if they always default to macaroni
and cheese or pizza.
- Place fruit and
veggies in clear sight: Make it
as "grab-and-go" as
possible, whether washed and on
the counter or sliced in the fridge.
- Eat as a family
whenever possible: Put the vegetables
right on their plates.
- Make junk food
less available, but don't ban
it completely: You don't want
to foster an obsession.
- Avoid overly
processed foods: Can you recognize
what plant or animal it came from?
If not, don't eat it.
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