Feeding Kids

By Eve Plews

Licensed Nutrition Counselor

(Originally published in Sarasota’s Natural Awakenings magazine August, 2009)

                                                                                Even if they’re not your kids – it’s in your best interest to help children reach their potential.  After all, they’ll be your politicians, community resources and caregivers as you age.  Wild, huh?

            Yes, everyone’s children are everyone’s responsibility even at a distance.  Kids have a hard enough time navigating this all-too-fast world without the handicap of a body and/or brain that doesn’t work well, much less optimally.

            The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (a coalition of 22 agencies) puts out an annual report:  “America’s Children – Key National Indicators of Well Being 2008.”  Kids, 0-17, make up just shy of one quarter (24.5%) of the US population or 74 million children.  One or more chronic health conditions limit the activity of 9% of those kids.  Definite or severe difficulty with emotion, concentration, behavior or just getting along with others effects 7% of boys and 3% of girls.  Medication is prescribed to 49% of those behavior challenged children.

            Every parent struggles with teaching what behavior is acceptable.  Discipline is teaching a child to follow rules.  We must all understand the difference between discipline and punishment as they are profoundly different.  Discipline teaches kids what they don’t know and helps them to learn impulse control.  Healthy self esteem allows us to feel better about ourselves and control our own impulses.  Emotional or physical punishment is based on pain and is about making us feel bad which undermines our self-esteem and destroys self discipline. 

            Parents create the environment that shapes kid’s eating patterns.  Researches at Washington University in St. Louis demonstrated that “when parents eat more fruits and vegetables so do their children.   When parents eat and give their children high fat snacks and soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead.”  The group taught parents how to provide preschool children easy access to more fruits and vegetables.  As a result of the training parents who ate one more serving of fruit or vegetable per day were associated with an increase of half a fruit or vegetable serving per day in their child (Preventative Medicine, volume 47, number 1, page, 77-82)

            These are the rules I’ve learned to support after 30 years in private nutrition practice.  Lets all learn them to help kids attain their potential by building a healthy body and a well functioning mind.

Don’t miss breakfast.

            If your child misses breakfast or only eats a bowl of sugar bombs – they have a harder time concentrating in school.  Best Bets – eggs in any form, warm cottage cheese on toast with cinnamon, protein smoothie of plain yogurt and fruit

Don’t ban foods.

            Locking up ANY food, calling it ‘bad stuff’ or ‘temptations,’ only makes treats more tempting.  Its just food – only meant to be eaten in small amounts on occasion. 

Don’t allow your child to make the rules or choose the meals.

            It’s your responsibility to make decisions about meals and snacks – even for teens.  Allow your kids to plan one meal a week but don’t abandon healthy principles.  Insist on eating at the table with good manners.  Insist on sitting properly; not watching TV, playing games or leaving the table before finishing.  Stick with it.  It’ll work.

Don’t use food as reward or punishment.

            The dinner table is not the place for a power struggle.  Giving her an ice cream promise if she’s a “good girl” will only allow her to search for approval in an ice cream carton when she has a bad day as an adult. 

Dip your way to variety.

            Kids love to dip food into salad dressing (especially Ranch), gravy, sauces or beandip like hummus. .  It’s a great way to match the familiar to the unfamiliar.  If they like dipping celery, carrots or a bright cherry tomato into Ranch dressing they’re more likely to try dipping snow peas or broccoli too.

Get your kid involved in cooking and cleaning.

            It’s fun and interesting for a kid to make “ants on a log,” a celery stick stuffed with peanut butter topped with raisins.  Give them a small measure of control to mash their own potato or put spaghetti sauce on their pasta.  And always have them bring their plate to the sink and help clean up.

Limit soda and juice.

            Eating fruit is far superior to drinking fruit juice or worse – juice-containing sugar filled ‘drinks.’  If your normal weight child has juice at all make it 100% juice (diluted with water) not just 100% Vitamin C.  Soda is a chemical feast of sugar, dye and bone damaging compounds.  Stick to water as much as possible.

Teach your kids to drink water.

            Water is what humans evolved on.  Have your child drink a FULL glass of water BEFORE breakfast and every other meal.  Kids often mistake thirst for hunger and go for a smack instead of the water a body really wants.

Do dinner different.

            Eat on the floor like an indoor picnic.  Make a salad bar on the counter.  Go to a park or the beach to eat.  Have a whole meal eaten with your fingers-chocolate pudding is great that way.  Kids love variety and so will you.

Be sneaky.

            Puree white beans to mix into mashed potatoes.  Grate zucchini into meat loaf.  Add shredded carrots into spaghetti sauce.  Put corn in the chili.  Freeze grapes and berries.  Keep a bowl of fresh fruit available.  Make a container of veggies and dips to keep in the frig.  Provide dried fruit instead of candy.  Switch to bakes corn chips, not fried.  Burgers of half ground turkey + half ground lamb are tastier and lower in sat fats.      

            They may not be your kids but if you host children, keep these guidelines in mind.  Our future is in their hands and brains and hearts.  I’d rather have a healthy kid grow up to be a healthy adult.  If you and I can make any contribution to that effort, the pay off is huge!