Nutrition For Kids: Beginners Guide For Struggling Parents

I know school’s out & it’s summer time BUT now is an even better time to take control of your kiddos nutritional habits. Keep things structured and still pack or prepare lunches for them. Try not to stray too from routine. Don't have any type of routine in place? Then it's time to build one!

I could endlessly write about nutrition when it comes to children - it's an area I'm super passionate about and wish I could get across to literally every parent out there. It's THAT important.

This email will be the first of a series of more child & young adult oriented nutrition talks. If something resonates with you, you use a tip/strategy and it works, or you have questions you'd like answered... please email me!

Onto the good stuff. This week will focus solely on:

• HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT NUTRITION
• HOW NOT TO TALK ABOUT NUTRITION/FOOD/EXERCISE/BODY IMAGE
• EDUCATING THEM ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY EATING
• DISCUSSIONS AT THE DINNER TABLE
• BEING A ROLE MODEL

I hear SO often that my nutrition clients struggle because they have food like Oreos, Goldfish, chips, donuts, etc in the house "because of the kids".

Does your five year old hop in the car, drive to the grocery store, and buy Oreos? I don’t think so.

Does your 8 year old drive to McDonalds to get a Happy Meal? Nope.

Do your kids cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for themselves? Probably not.

So then ask yourself, what is my excuse?

Who is in charge of your child's nutrition? YOU ARE.
Who is putting food on their plate? YOU ARE.
Who is grocery shopping for the household? YOU ARE.
Who is driving them to Mcdonalds before or after sport practice? YOU ARE.

With the above being said, it comes down to the responsibility as a parent to 1) educate YOURSELF and 2) educate your FAMILY/KIDS on all things nutrition & health.

1. AVOID LABELING FOOD.
   "Healthy" VS "Unhealthy"
   "Good" VS "Bad"
   "Clean" VS "Junk"
   
   Now I will use the term "healthy" when educating my CF kiddos about nutrition, but I NEVER EVER EVER say "unhealthy" "bad" or even "junk".
   
   Instead, I prefer the words: healthy, whole foods, nutritious,  nutrient dense, quality, energy or energy dense
   AND "fun" or "sometimes" foods to replace the negative words like "junk"
   
   Using the negative words above can instill a poor relationship between your child and food at a young age. It's important for them to understand the difference between bananas VS candy but there's a place for both in their life. We never want to make a child feel guilty for food choices - they must learn that there's always going to be a BALANCE between "fun" and "energy" foods!
   
   SOMETIMES vs EVERYDAY foods:
   In CF Kids class, we recently did an activity where they filled their whiteboards with foods HIGH in sugar (cookies, candy, ice cream, cereal, soda). I explained how these foods are SOMETIMES foods... foods you should enjoy SOMETIMES as a treat, but not everyday. We then made a list of as many foods without added sugar as we could think of (veggies, fruit, meat, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, rice, potatoes) and discussed how they are EVERYDAY foods... foods you should eat everyday!
   
   
2. AVOID FORBIDDING CERTAIN FOODS.
   I know this can be hard for parents as well who eat relatively well and want their children to too. But this goes along with labeling foods into certain groups like good VS bad. If you say, "NO CANDY OR SUGAR EVER" then when your kid is at a friend's house, choosing lunch at school, at a birthday party, or at summer camp... they are more likely to go all in on the sugar foods that they've been sheltered from. Again, educate them on the difference between foods that provide us with ENERGY vs foods that don't give us that same feeling.
   
   Moderation. I won't be giving my children fast food but if this is something they've grown up with, slowly start by decreasing the quantity. If you go to McDonalds weekly, try decreasing to 2x/month. If they keep asking for it, tell them no. YOU are the parent and YOU are in charge here.
   
   Buy them their favorite cereal like Cinnamon Toast Crunch but also try buying a better quality version like Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Squares. Transition them slowly to the better quality cereal. In addition, try swapping their daily cereal breakfast for something else (Birch Benders protein pancakes - make ahead and keep in fridge for easy reheat) and making it a rule that they can only have the cereal 3x/week instead of 5+.
   
   
3. EDUCATE THEM ON PROTEIN, CARBS, FATS, & CALORIES
   
   This is the #1 thing I focus on with my CF Kids. Simply learning WHAT food IS. What certain foods belong in which category and why and the benefits of all 3 macronutrients: protein, carbs, & fats.
   
   Protein - MAKES YOU STRONG, helps your muscles grow, gives you energy, helps with a rumbling tummy.
   Fats - help your BRAIN, gives you energy, help you absorb vitamins from other foods
   Carbs - give you the most energy, high in fiber, helps your body grow, fuels your exercise/sports/activities
   
   We will draw a circle on our whiteboards. We split the circle into FOUR categories. We started out by labeling them: Protein, Carbohydrates, Fat, Veggies. (Veggies are carbs but I put in a 4th category so they understand to include them on their plates always.)
   We then talk about different foods they may eat for dinner and which category they belong in. Eventually, their goal was to build their own BALANCED plate including all 4 food groups. They do that with ease now because over time, they learned what foods are what macronutrients.
   
   Protein - meats, fish, dairy, eggs
   Carbs - veggies, fruit, grains, potatoes, beans, rice, quinoa, sugar
   Fats - oils, nuts, seeds, avocado/guac, butter, bacon, egg yolks
   Veggies - we like to build veggie/fruit rainbows and think of as many as we can
   
   
4. BE MINDFUL OF HOW YOU SPEAK ABOUT FOOD/YOURSELF AROUND THEM.As you all know, children are SPONGES. They literally soak up everything we say. Some of the things I've heard my CF kids repeat:

"My mom told me that cake made her fat."

"Calories aren't good for you. I heard my mom saying they were bad."

"Dad said he's not eating ice cream because he's on a diet."

"Carbs are bad."

"My mom drinks protein shakes on her diet."

"Mom said shorts make her legs look fat."

The list could go on & on. But you get the point. YOU ARE THEIR ROLEMODEL. How you view food, your relationship with the scale/your body/carbs/calories/dieting becomes THEIR relationship with those things.

So above all, DO NOT TALK ABOUT DIETS, BODY SHAME, OR FOOD SHAME in front of your kids!!

5. EAT MEALS TOGETHER AND TALK AT THE TABLEWe get so caught up in life, work, the gym, etc. that sometimes we forget that sitting down at the dinner table as a family is a REALLY important part of a child's life. And ours as an adult too. Unplugging more from TVs, computers, iphones, ipads, games and connecting more with humans and engaging in real, meaningful conversations has a profound impact on our quality of life.

At the table:
serve a VARIETY of foods and discuss more about what those different foods do for your body or talk about which macronutrient group they belong in (protein, carb, fat). Example: "We're eating salmon tonight for protein. Salmon is almost like a SUPER-FISH! It gives our bodies a zap of omega-3's which keep our hearts strong and grow our brains!"

6. BE A ROLE MODEL!
Fill your plate with colorful, whole foods. Go back for seconds of veggies and they just may too!

Spice up the vegetables and healthy foods you put in front of them. Don't be afraid to add grass-fed butter, organic dressing or ranch, cheese, hot sauce or bbq sauce, marinades, oils, seasonings. I love all veggies but I don't like boiled plain broccoli either... lame.

And lastly, GET THEM INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF FOOD. Research has shown that children who are more involved in the cooking, chopping, preparing, and even shopping process are more likely to choose healthier foods/meals that they helped with.

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