DREAM BIG: Parents Can Help Set Healthy Eating Habits for Their Kids

Park Ridge, IL -- Look into your refrigerator and see what food you have readily available for your children. You might be surprised by what you find. Busy lifestyles often lead to a mix of microwavable convenience foods and other handy snacks that may not be the most healthy choices for your children over a prolonged time. March is National Nutrition Month, and Dream Big, the Big Ten Conference's program to promote young girls in sports, reminds parents to take an active role in their children's nutritional habits.

According to Donna Vandergraff, extension specialist in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Purdue University, parents set the tone when it comes to children's nutrition. "Parents can encourage healthy eating habits by exhibiting good habits themselves and showing kids how to make healthful snacks, like cheese and crackers and celery with peanut butter."

Vandergraff says that too often kids grab soda pop and chips or candy as soon as they get home from school because the food is right at their fingertips. A challenge for parents is to make healthy food more accessible.

Rather than potato chips and cookies, have cut-up fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator or fresh fruit on the counter. Other good snack foods include yogurt, raisins, dry cereal and bagels. Snacking helps to refuel the body, but you should encourage your children to snack smart.

Mom continues to be the top influencing factor when it comes to the food choices that children make. The American Dietetic Association recently published a report that examined the food attitudes of five-year-old girls.

Girls whose mothers reported dieting were more than twice as likely to have ideas, concepts and beliefs about dieting than those girls whose mothers were not dieting.

"We continually try to get preteen girls away from the idea of dieting," says Vandergraff. "If we get children eating healthy food combined with healthy activity, this can help them establish healthy habits that last a lifetime."

For parents, she offers three key nutrition tips.

  • Select food based on the Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramid, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for anyone over the age of two, outlines recommended daily food intake from the five food groups: milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and grains. Each food group contributes certain nutrients to the diet. The pyramid puzzle is complete when the recommended amounts from all the food groups are eaten each day. The body requires some 40 nutrients to maintain health. Children eat well by starting out the day with a good breakfast followed by lunch, a healthy snack and dinner. Girls, in particular, tend to fall short on sufficient intakes of the nutrients calcium and iron. Girls should be encouraged to drink milk and eat yogurt, cheese, lean meat and enriched grains to supplement these nutrients. Calcium is essential for bone growth and iron keeps the red blood cells healthy to avoid anemia.

  • Choose higher-calorie, lower-nutrient foods in moderation. Many food choices are okay as long as the choices are balanced. An occasional candy bar or soda pop is all right as long as it does not take the place of healthier foods.

  • Be active. Children do not necessarily have to participate in organized sports to be active and have a healthy well-being. Rather, physical activity like dancing, playing outdoors and biking provides the daily exercise children need. Activities enjoyed by the entire family, like going on walks or bike riding, are encouraged.

    For more information on children's nutrition, visit these Web sites, www.nutritionforkids.com, www.healthykids.com and www.familyfoodzone.com.

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