Okay so I ranted and raved about this problem. Now what?. What can I say in the face of this epidemic that can help in any way? Well, I've thought a long time about this and I've come up with some ideas on how to keep our kids healthy or at least avoid helping them pack on the pounds.
Ditch the dinner to dessert rule.
-Let your kids eat their fill of their dinner, but don't push for them to finish everything on their plates in order to get dessert. That's not a good reward system Instead, use dessert as a reward for eating their vegetables or choosing water and juice instead of soda. This not only keeps them from unnecessary overeating, but it teaches them good eating habits with small sweet rewards.
***That being said, make sure dessert is at least a little healthy and/or a good portion size fr the child. A large slice of cheesecake isn't exactly the best thing to give a 5 year old. Try a small fruit parfait or an ice cream cone with sprinkles for a sweet treat your kids will "suffer" through broccoli for.
Make it healthier.
-Whatever "it" is, make it healthier in the way its cooked and prepared. Serve baked, not fried, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese made with low fat, non-processed cheeses, and pizzas made on whole wheat crust topped with some veggies among the standard pepperoni. Also, try to ease up on the salt. Overly salty dinners only enhance a child's sweet tooth at the end of the meal. Try serving baked sweet potato fries or cranberry infused salads and sauces to satisfy their sweet tooth with the main meal instead of overloading them with a sugar craving at the end.
Lead by example.
-Leave a little on your own plate too. Don't push yourself to eat more than you can/want just because you want to follow your own clean plate rule. Also, if you're not eating your own veggies, what makes you think your kids will? Monkey see, money do is a true saying, and that means: eat your vegetables. Your kids AND yourself will thank you in the years to come!
You only get one body, and its not fair to kids that they are being led to unhealthy lifestyles so early on. Teaching them good eating habits is key to fostering healthy lifestyles in the future which means healthier, more active, and longer lives for your children. That above all else is the best reward of all. :)
I think a few unhealthy meals are less of a problem than the widespread lack of actual activities for kids, up to puberty I could eat what I want and stay tiny - because from the moment lunch was done to the moment I had to be in for dinner I was outside terrorizing the garden, the neighbourhood or the woods - now it was easier here than it might be over there, because we did not always need babysitters, we went into the woods as a group of usually about 6 kids and returned dirty scratched up and very tired home for dinnertime - or we played on the fields while the adults took care of stuff there, I remember "learning" to drive a tractor across a field as teamwork long before I could reach everything
ReplyDeleteWe were also easily made to eat vegetables(well most- I still hate red cabbage) and fruit by little games of "hunting and gathering" our own meals in the garden of one or the other of the adults
You're absolutely right. I was gonna get to that in my blog tonight, and you've even given me more ideas to expand upon here. That's awesome! The Hunting/Gathering idea is fantastic. I'll definitely credit/quote you on that if you're okay with it!
ReplyDeleteNo prob please do quote me, as it works great (- and at least here we have educational farms you can visit with your kids to show them=
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree with the ditch dessert rule, over all, I think its a better idea to eliminate desserts as a reward mechanism all together. Either use fruit as a reward (even strawberries with a little whipped cream) or stickers, what ever. Think about when we were in school, I still remember getting a push pop for learning a song on the recorder. It is def a change that needs to happen to society as a whole, sadly
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