Your Newspaper - Your Health - Simple Solutions to Solve Your Kid’s ‘Junk’ Diet

Posted on: April 9, 2010

Simple Solutions to Solve Your Kid’s ‘Junk’ Diet

Getting children to eat healthier means sending a better message about food and body image

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Your child would eat healthfully if everyone could stick to the plan. But he may skip breakfast and grab a candy bar from the convenience store or trade his sandwich for a bag of chips. And maybe everyone is so rushed with activities that dinner is a fast-food burger and fries.

It’s hard to control what your child eats when he’s bombarded with food advertising and food products are so accessible, according to Elisa Zied, MS, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

If your child has erratic and possibly unhealthy eating habits, he could become an obesity statistic, and that’s a worry.

More than a third of parents share your concerns, according to a recent study from Mintel International Group, Ltd., a leading market research company.

Take a deep breath and don’t beat yourself up, says Zied, mother of 8-year old Eli and 11-year old Spencer.

Although your child is tempted by an abundance of food messages, you can help him develop a healthy attitude about food, his body and weight.

“Once you have that you can think about responding to outside influences,” Zied says.

The best place to start is at home.

Prepare for chaotic schedules by shopping and cooking in advance. Keep healthful staples, such as bags of frozen microwavable vegetables, canned beans, spaghetti and salad greens on hand.

“It doesn’t have to be fresh, and it doesn’t have to be a Julia Child special. You’ll have a better diet if you reduce the number of times you eat fast food,” says Zied, author of “Feed Your Family Right! (John Wiley & Sons, 2007).

Teach the difference between snacks and desserts. Unlike snacks, desserts are high in sugar and/or fat, with little nutritional value. Let your child help shop for nuts and seeds, fresh fruits, yogurt, string cheese and other healthful snacks. Explain nutrition in terms that are relevant to your children.

“Kids have no idea of health. You can’t tell them they’ll avoid heart disease,” Zied says.

“Tell them they’ll have energy for sports; clear skin; do well on the math test.”

When her Eli was younger, he’d ask his mother what the food he was eating “will do for him.”

That’s the health message Zied wants children to absorb.

Parents hold a number of influences accountable for their children’s weight, according to Marcia Mogelonsky, global food and drink analyst at Mintel, Chicago. Close to 80 percent of parents feel responsible, according to the results of a recent Mintel study on children and obesity. Half point to video games and a lack of exercise, and 40 percent say fast-food restaurants are causing weight gain.

However, a surprising number of adults fault children for their overweight or obese conditions. (In the study of 561 adults, age 18 or older, 32 percent put the blame on children under age 2; 50 percent say teens, ages 13 to 15, are responsible for their weight.

“I was shocked at how the parents blame [their] kids for being overweight,” Mogelonsky says. She urges parents to take control of their own and their children’s nutrition needs.

“For parents to change their kids’ lifestyles, they have to improve their own,” Mogelonsky says.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"