8 Tips for Avoiding ‘Food Fights’ with Your Child
Parents, it’s time for you to take back the power of the plate and end the frustration of food battles with your children.
No more toddler tantrums, feeding the broccoli to the dog under the table or using the lure of dessert to get your children to eat healthy. It’s possible – if you follow some easy suggestions, according to Dr. Christine Wood, M.D.
Wood is the co-chair of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, an author and a pediatrician in Encinitas for 25 years. She spoke to a room full of parents and grandparents at the Solana Beach Library Tuesday evening.
“A balance needs to occur when you’re talking about eating and nutrition for children,” said Wood. “We have to get down to the basics when choosing food for our kids like fruits, veggies and whole grains.”
That doesn’t mean they can’t occasionally have chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese, but those should be the exception and not the rule.
She reminded parents that it’s totally normal for kids to be fussy about food.
“You can’t force a child to go potty and you can’t force a child to go to sleep,” she said. “The same goes for food – you can’t force them to eat something.”
One thing that can sometimes easily be overlooked is your own influence on what your child eats. Kids tend to mimic their parents’ eating choices and some parents overlook that fact.
“Our food preferences can often dictate what our kids eat because kids pick up on these things,” said Wood. “If we’re picky ourselves, that could be a problem.”
She encourages parents to work with their children to explore foods that maybe the parent doesn’t like.
“Take your 5-year-old to the farmers market and have them pick out something to try,” Wood said.
Here are eight tips Dr. Wood suggests for parents trying to get their children to eat healthier:
1. Feast on family meals
Plan balanced meals ahead of time so the family can eat together. Never coax, bribe, punish or nag kids to eat and avoid the battles.
2. Gimme 5 to stay alive
Five servings of fruits and vegetables, that is. Serve them with every meal and as snacks. Offer fruit as a dessert. Add grated veggies to a turkey burger, meatloaf or grilled cheese sandwich.
3. Manage the kitchen environment
Limit the purchase of junk foods, soda and desserts. Cut up fruit or vegetables and keep them handy, making them more likely to be eaten.
4. Drinks to dump
Make soda a rare treat, and for kids over 2 years use 1% or nonfat milk. Limit juice intake especially in children 1-6 years old.
5. Parents rule
Divide the responsibilities: parents decide what food to offer and when; kids decide how much and what of the food offered to eat. Keep introducing new foods over again.
6. Eating out with control
Find healthy style restaurants when you do eat out. Share meals among family members to help portion control for everyone.
7. Movin’ past media
Turn off the TV while eating and don’t snack in front of the TV. Limit “screen time” (in front of a TV, computer or video game) to less than an hour or two a day. Avoid placing TVs and computers in children’s bedrooms.
8. Become the family nutrition expert
Learn to read labels and make sure fat is limited and family members are getting the necessary fiber and calcium. Learn how to avoid the bad fats like trans-fat and partially hydrogenated fats and find good fats like omega-3 fats in fish, nuts and seeds.
The San Diego County Library offers dozens of nutrition, health and fitness classes every month. You can find a listing of them by searching the monthly events calendar.