8 Rules of Good Nutrition

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How to get kids eating right from day one

By Rosie Schwartz

No one is born a healthy eater, in spite of what you may have heard at a playgroup or at work. Teaching youngsters about good nutrition and helping them develop healthy eating habits to last a lifetime is a process and one that takes patience. After all, who expects to teach them life skills and values all at once? Healthy eating is no different. It takes time but is well worth the effort.

Here are eight rules of good nutrition to guide you through the process.

1. Be the best role model you can be.

“Do as I say not as I do” simply doesn’t make the grade anymore. If you want your children to eat well and have positive attitudes about food and their relationship to what’s on their plates, then so do you. Parents who skip meals or berate themselves or each other about their eating or weight pass these ways of thinking onto their offspring.

2. Focus on all the valuable perks healthy eats provide.

Put the spotlight on how nutrient-rich options provide fuel for growth, running, playing and thinking, rather than on bad foods that are fattening or result in tooth decay.

3. Be a gatekeeper and provide youngsters with food rules, but don’t be the nutrition police.

Let youngsters know what constitutes a healthy meal in your home: at least three out of four food groups and foods that rate high in nutrients. But at the same time, because they will venture out into the world, teach them how to incorporate treats — that they don’t take the place of healthy choices but are fine to include occasionally.

4. Have a no-skipping-breakfast policy — for everyone.

Breakfast skippers, or those who skimp on nutrition at their morning meal, tend to look for more empty calorie selections later in the day.
 
5. Make planned snacks part of everyday eating.

In-between-meal eats provide health perks for both youngsters with small and large appetites. For those who eat small meals, snacks can provide an opportunity to meet food group quotas. And for those with gargantuan appetites, smart choices can take the edge off the desire to overeat.

6. Keep sugar-containing drinks to a minimum — even unsweetened fruit juices.

Instead, go for fruit, and have children learn to satisfy fluid needs with water and low-fat milk. Fruit offers a bounty of nutrients including fibre and assorted antioxidants, many of which are not found in juices.

7. Get youngsters involved in menu planning and food preparation.

When kids prepare food, not only are they more likely to eat the fruits of their labour, they will also expect other family members to do so as well. How much they really do depends on their age as well as skill level. Rave about how yummy the salad is after a three-year-old helped to dress it, and chances are good that he or she will eat it. Older children, though, can prepare some dishes all on their own.

8. Make the time to eat together on a regular basis.

Families who sit down together to share of the joy of good food not only rate higher on their nutritional scores, they also reap other rewards. Communicating comes easier when there are opportunities to talk about each others’ day.
 
Rosie Schwartz is a Toronto-based consulting dietitian in private practice and is author of The Enlightened Eater's Whole Foods Guide: Harvest the Power of Phyto Foods (Viking Canada). You can find her on Twitter @rosieschwartz.