7 Quick Tips for Getting Your Child to Eat More Vegetables

Children choose foods, not based on the nutritional goodness or health benefits that foods provide. Rather, they are guided by their taste buds. But that’s not all. Habit plays a major role in what children like and what they do not like. And habits are developed early.

Unfortunately, children are exposed to high sugar, high fat and high sodium (salt) foods so early in life that they never learn to enjoy the natural goodness of foods without these added ingredients. The end result is a child who likes all the “wrong” foods and who may refuse to eat the “right” foods.

Parents know that vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and other vital compounds that promote healthy growth and development. But, getting children to eat their vegetables could prove to be quite challenging, to the point of frustration.

So, short of throwing in the towel, what can parents do to make sure that their children eat their vegetables?

Here are a few ideas:

1. Make vegetables a regular part of every meal. This will get children to accept vegetables as a normal part of the course and get them comfortable with these foods on their plate.

2. Serve up a variety of colorful vegetables. Kids like colors, so use colorful vegetables to tweak their curiosity about the foods on their plate.

3. Serve small portions, particularly when you are introducing a new vegetable for the first time. Seeing too much food on the plate could have the child feeling overwhelmed, perhaps even feeling like he might be punished if he doesn’t eat all. Serving smaller portions will help to remove the fear.

4. Allow the child to have seconds if he wants, while teaching him to control portions.

5. Disguise vegetables by adding them to soups, salads, casserole, gravies, pasta sauce and other dishes where they can be hidden. Chop, mash or grate the vegetables if necessary, but be careful not to overwhelm the dish with the vegetables so that the taste si overpowering that the child refuses to eat it. Gradually, increase the visibility of the vegetables as the child develops the taste or outgrows the resistance to them.

6. Be a good role model. If your child sees you eating your vegetables, he is more likely to do the same.

7. As soon as your child is old enough, involve him in doing fun things to peak his interest in vegetables and motivate him to want to at least try new ones. Be creative.

About the Author

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant with over 25 years of experience in teaching, counseling, training, project development and writing. Dr. Carter earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently President & CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project. 

Copyright 2010 (c) Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying or reprinting in any manner or form is strictly prohibited.
The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention.

Steps to Preventing Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a major problem for millions of children and families in the United States. Simply put, obesity is the result of eating too much and not exercising enough. Usually, the foods that these children eat are high in calories and of poor nutritional quality.

What’s so troubling about childhood obesity is that it takes a toll on the lives of those affected – socially, psychologically and physically. Our children deserve better.

Certainly, no parent wants their child to experience lifelong health problems, particularly when they could be avoided. So, what can you do to keep your child from becoming overweight or obese?

Preventing childhood obesity starts with making the right choices.

Let's take a look at some things that you can to do to keep your child from becoming obese:

Rule #1. Learn what children need for good health. You can use the food guide pyramid, MyPyramid for Kids, to learn more about what to feed your child.

Rule # 2. Serve nutritious foods in the right portions.

Rule #3. Keep a variety of fruits, nuts, dairy and other nutrient-dense foods on hand for children to snack on.

Rule #4. Limit the amount of sodas and other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that your child eats.

Rule #5. Read food labels to learn what is in the foods your child eats and shop accordingly. Avoid buying commercially packaged foods with large amounts of sugar, fat and sodium,

Rule #6. Get the whole family moving.

Keep in mind that it will take time for your child to develop the taste for more healthful foods. Be patient, but don’t give up.

Copyright 2010 Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Copying or reprinting the information on this page without written permission of the author is strictly prohibited.

The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention.  

What Parents Need to Know About Sodas and Childhood Obesity

Sadly, sodas and other sugary drinks have become the beverage of choice among America's children, as indicated in a USDA report. This report, based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1988-94, shows that the daily soft drink intake of children between the ages of 14 and 18 was almost 4 times more than milk intake (0.7 servings of milk versus 2.7 servings of soda). Younger children were also consuming more soft drink than milk. 

And in a study reported by Harvard University School of Public Health (February 2001), soft drinks were listed as the leading source of added sugars in the diet of children. Researchers also found that the odds of becoming obese increased 1.6 times for each additional can or glass of sugar-sweetened soda that kids drank.

There is compelling evidence to show that children who drink large amounts of soda daily are prone to become overweight or obese. That is why it is important for you to pay attention to what your child is drinking and take steps to reduce his or her intake of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages to less than one serving per day - down to zero. Offer more milk, water and a limited amount of 100% fruit juice instead.

Copyright 2010 Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Copying or reprinting the information on this page without written permission of the author is strictly prohibited.

The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention. 

Feed Your Child Right: Wholesome and Nutritious Fluids for Kids

If you are the parent of a young child, chances are you are constantly struggling with the question of what to feed your child. One reason for this struggle is the powerful influence of television in molding children's eating behaviors, as I mentioned in a previous blog. In fact, just yesterday, a student in one of my nutrition workshops mentioned that his parents bought a commercial drink instead of sodas because that drink was advertised on TV as being better than soda. 

Don't fall for such empty arguments. A sugar-sweetened drink that is made from artificial coloring and artificial flavors, even if it contains a little less calories, does nothing for your child's health and may contribute to unhealthy weight gain the same way soda does.

Your child deserves the chance for a healthy future and you can help to make that happen by offering water and nutritious, succulent fruits or real fruit juice instead of cheap sodas and artificial drinks. 

It may take some time to wean your child off of the sugary drinks he has gotten used to, but it can be done. Here are a few helpful suggestions to get your child on the right track:

• Encourage your child to drink a cool glass of water when he is thirsty
• Buy real (100%) fruit juice instead artificially flavored and colored drinks
• Look out for words like punch and juice drink on food labels, as these words suggest that the drink contains little or no real fruit juice
• Limit the amount of fruit juice to about 1 cup per day, since the amount of sugar in these drinks could be as high as other drinks
• Offer your child a serving of succulent fruits like watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and mango as an alternative to fruit juice.
• Don't overlook the value of milk as a nutritious beverage that not only helps to meet your child's fluid needs but can help to meet your child's need for protein, vitamins and minerals as well.

Copyright 2010 Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Copying or reprinting the information on this page without written permission of the author is strictly prohibited.

The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention. 

Preventing Childhood Obesity: Tips for Parents

The food and beverage industry spends billions of dollars advertising high-calorie, low-nutrient food to young children in the United States. As a result of these powerful marketing schemes, millions of America's children, our most vulnerable,  are facing a lifetime of obesity and potentially fatal chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

America's children deserve better. Every child deserves the chance to grow up to become healthy, happy and productive adults. But unfortunately, too many are being robbed of this chance.  In fact, the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), predicts that one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes at some point during their lifetime. This is an unacceptable fate to lay before our children.

So, what can you as a parent do to prevent this tragic future?

You can start by limiting the amount of soft drinks, hamburgers, nuggets and other high-calorie foods your child consumes. That means keeping them out of the home and shopping for more nutritious alternatives. Keep lots of water, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds around to satisfy your child's hunger. Milk, cheese and yogurt are also healthy options.

Keep in mind that your child is looking to you for guidance. Take charge and refuse to let your child to be victimized by the profit-driven food industry. Your child will be better for it.

Copyright 2010 Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Copying or reprinting the information on this page without written permission of the author is strictly prohibited.


The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention. 

Childhood Obesity - The National Agenda

Dr. Carter’s Nutrition Journal

Childhood Obesity: The National Agenda

By Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD

5-14-2010

Miami, FL

Child>Nutrition>Obesity

Overview

First Lady Michelle Obama is at the helm of a huge challenge. Her goal is to reduce childhood obesity within the next generation. With this task force, we should see a lot more movement towards preventing childhood obesity and providing obesity management services that children and families need to treat obesity where it exists. One thing is clear, registered dietitians and professional nutritionists will have a major role to play if we are to reverse the course of childhood obesity in this country.

Who is affected?

Today, childhood obesity is considered a major public health epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in three children are overweight or obese. This epidemic has put America’s children at risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and a number of other diseases that were once considered adult-onset diseases and rarely seen in children.

Causes of childhood obesity

In simplest terms, childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not burning enough. There are a lot of other things that contribute to childhood obesity and we have to address those issues.

According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, some of the things that are contributing to childhood obesity are:

Children are eating more fast food, foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar and salt.

Children are eating more foods away from home.

More parents are working outside the home and spending less time preparing meals.

Fewer families are eating together.

Portion sizes have double and in some cases tripled compared to what they were a mere one or two generations ago.

Children are less active. They spend more time in front of the television or playing video games instead of engaging in real physical movement.

Lack of safe places for children to play causes parents to keep children indoors, thereby reducing the chance to exercise and  burn any excess calories that they may consume.

Children are exposed to a great deal of advertising for low-nutrient, calorie dense foods that do little to promote health and may increase the risk of unhealthy weight gain.

There are also other factors like genetics, prescription drugs that increases appetite or slows metabolism, among other things that also influence children’s weight gain and ultimately their health.

Steps to preventing childhood obesity

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity recently provided a Report to the President outlining the challenges the Task Force and the nation face in combating childhood obesity. This report also outlines some key strategies that might be able to help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in one generation.

Those recommendations include:

Improving prenatal care, encouraging breast feeding, reducing the amount of time that young children spend in front of the television and quality care and education in the early years.

Educating parents and caregivers about nutrition, food marketing and health care services.

Improving the quality of school meals by engaging families, communities, businesses and all levels of government to foster healthier food choices.

Mobilizing public and private sector resources to improve access to healthy food, affordable pricing and product formulation. Resources will also be allocated to reduce hunger and obesity among children in this country.

Additionally, the task force addresses the issue of physical activity with a look at ways to increase the level of physical activity among children. These approaches will include school-based and afterschool activities, as well as the build environment and community recreation centers.

Reversing childhood obesity is a tremendous challenge for the first lady and all Americans. The outcome will have far-reaching effects. Consequently, we have no choice but to rally around Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and give America’s children the chance for a healthy weight and a long, healthy, happy and productive future.

References

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

http://letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html

Your comments and questions are welcome.

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant, specializing in child health and nutrition, with special emphasis on childhood obesity. Dr. Carter, who earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley, is CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project. To learn more, visit www.dailydietguide.com and www.chanaproject.org.