Cultivating healthy eating habits in children

Poor dietary habits in children and young adults are unfortunately now the norm, not the exception. According to the journal Pediatrics, being overweight is now the most common medical condition of childhood (one out of every six children is overweight).
While similar trends exist among adults, special attention must be given to the health of our children, since eating habits learned early on lay a strong foundation for future health. Many of us can attest to the power of habit when we notice that we are still eating the same foods we were raised on, even though we now know some of them are not good for us.
Habit is part of the reason that unhealthy eating patterns persist into our adult years, but for many of us, to think that our parents fed us things that weren’t healthy can be a tough nut to swallow. “If it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me,” reigns supreme in many of today’s dining rooms, even as we may be witnessing our parents’ declining health.
But while our parents, in most cases, simply did not know that the all-American diet was starting their children down a road of ill health (due to lack of available and accurate information), today’s parents have a world of information at their fingertips.
We can begin to help the children in our lives first by understanding the cause of their poor health as it relates to nutrition. This boils down to quantity and quality ­– specifically, consuming too many nutritionally depleted foods and beverages.
This pattern of eating is fueled by the relentless advertising for nutrient-deficient foods that is targeted at children. Consequently, over time they begin to believe that a daily diet high in fat, sugar and refined foods is normal.
Here are two big changes you can start making right away that will make a world of difference in your child’s overall health and well-being:
1) Reduce or eliminate soda: Due to its extremely high sugar content, soda is one of the biggest contributors to children’s poor health and excess weight. A twelve-ounce can of soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories (an apple is about 60 calories).
According to Pediatrics, soft drink consumption has increased by 300 percent in the last 20 years, and between 56 and 85 percent of school-age children consume at least one soft drink daily (20 percent consume four or more servings a day).
Unfortunately, soda machines are permanent fixtures at many public schools due to the money schools earn from soda companies. The trade-off is that students’ health and ability to focus end up suffering because of soda’s high level of corn syrup (sugar) and caffeine. By adolescence most children have become soft drink addicts.
2) Feed children real food: Processed and refined foods ­– such as prepackaged cookies, cereals, breakfast bars and Lunchables ­– are certainly easy options, but they have little nutritional value and provide very little fiber. Fiber aids in digestion and helps to control appetite (and thus weight) and blood sugar levels, which when very high or very low can cause over-activity or sluggishness.
Where processed foods have been stripped of most of their nutrients, whole foods ­– foods as close to their natural state as possible ­– are full of all the micro-nutrients, healthy fats and protein needed for growing bodies. Vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans are examples of whole foods. Green and fruit salads, hot oatmeal, and dried fruits and nuts are good whole-food alternatives.
Preparing meals from whole-food ingredients can take a bit more time, but what is more worthy of our time than ensuring that our children are truly well fed and feeling good throughout the day? A good rule of thumb is to indulge only occasionally in processed and high-fat foods on special occasions, while consuming a healthier diet when at home.
The body is amazing in its ability to continue functioning despite being inadequately fueled, but given some time the wear and tear will begin to show, as many of us can attest. So, let’s begin to cultivate good eating habits in our children, starting today.

Cathy Fisher is a certified nutrition educator who lives in Glen Ellen.