Get Your Kids Cookin'!
By Joanne Eglash
Reprinted from eDiets
Studies and research indicate that in many cases, parents are the key influence in how a child forms his or her eating habits. Whether your child is overweight, underweight or doesn't even have a weight problem, getting her or him involved in cooking with you can make a big difference in establishing what it means to "eat right."
There's something special about standing at the counter helping to stir a bowl of low-fat, low-calorie salad dressing, tear up greens for a salad, and arrange tomatoes on a plate. You can make your child feel "just like a grown-up" in preparing the meal.
And just as the most lopsided clay bowl takes on an attractive glow when your child made it, even the simplest dish of food can appear like a feast when the whole family was involved in the preparation. Rather than lecture about avoiding forbidden sweets, focus on a positive message: fresh fruits are good to eat and fun to cut up and serve, for example.
A wonderful resource for parents who want to encourage their children to have healthy eating habits is the "5 A Day the Color Way" organization (www.5aday.org).
This program is designed to help families eat healthier meals and snacks by enjoying a minimum of five daily servings of vegetables and fruits. The website is filled with a variety of resources, from coloring and activity sheets for kids, to tips and recipes for parents.
The program recommends a variety of ways to get your children involved in planning and preparing meals. And you can take this concept beyond the organization's recommended five-a-day concept by actively soliciting your young one's ideas for menus, then gently suggesting healthy variations on some not-so-healthy kid favorites (like spaghetti and hot dogs!). Once you have a menu selected, make shopping a family activity.
For children who are learning to read, studying the ingredients listed on labels can be a wonderful teaching tool from both a scholastic and health viewpoint. Explain that the ingredients listed first are the ones that the product contains the most of. So, for example, if corn syrup and sugar are the first two ingredients, you know it's not on the healthy foods list!
Among the ideas suggested by the 5 a Day program:
- Go shopping with your child and let him or her pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try out. This can be fun for the entire family. Your child will take even more of an interest in cooking vegetables with you when it's something such as a "personally chosen" zucchini!
- Set up a chart on your refrigerator that lists five-a-day fruits and vegetables. Place your child in charge of keeping track of just how many fruits and vegetables he or she eats each day, so that it becomes a game.
- You can even bring math into the learning experience by discussing the importance of measuring ingredients. Mention the concept of "portions" so your child understands the meaning, without overemphasizing weighing and measuring as a way to eat right.
- Don't forget: eDiets.com has its own wonderful resources of experts, such as dietitians, ready to help you figure out how to make mealtime healthier for your entire family. And when you have success stories to share, log into some of the meetings and support forums, so others can learn from your success!