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Super Nanny helps parents bring healthy eating habits to kids!

Posted on Nov 04, 2009 by Maggie LaBarbera
 

Did anyone see Super Nanny last week.  She had her hands full helping a family with not one but two sets of kids make healthy eating choices!

Super Nanny was right on target with her healthy tips!

Super Nanny noticed that the kids did not eat any fruits or vegetables.  They ate lots of fatty foods followed by doses of sugary sweets and soda!  When she confronted the parents about the children's poor eating habits, they explained that the kids would not eat anything but frozen and packaged foods.  What was more surprising was the mom was a healthy eater, she just didn't know how to get the kids to eat healthy!

Hopeless!  Not for Super Nanny!  She gave the parents very specific guidelines on how to get the kids to eat healthier foods!

1.  Parents plan a healthy menu for the week.

2.  Involve the kids in meal planning.  She had mom write down each healthy menu on a triangle and then pasted them onto a large circle with a spinner.  Each child was asked to spin the wheel and see what meal they would land on which was then assigned to a special day.  The kids loved the game and each wanted to spin the wheel.

3.  Get kids curious and interested in fruits and vegetables.  She took the family to the local farmer's market where the kids could sample different fruits and vegetables.  Some they did not like, others they did.  She kept it all very positive and fun to experiment and try new foods.

4.  Snacks were stopped at least one hour before mealtime so the kids would be hungry.

5.  All soda and other sugary, fatty foods were removed from the house.

6.  At dinnertime, kids were given a choice of milk or water.

7.  There was a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables for the kids to choose from for dinner.

8,  Parents were patient but firm that this was the meal they all agreed upon for dinner.

9.  Parents explained to the kids why the other foods were not good for their bodies and that is why it was not a dinner option, instead it was a once in a while treat.

10.  They all had to sit down as a family for dinner, even if the kids were not going to eat.

What happened? (in case you didn't see it)  Well, we may have missed out on some of the more difficult moments with film editing, but it was clear that with consistency, patience and keeping it positive and fun,  the kids began to eat healthy foods!

Change takes a little time, even for kids.  But it does happen if you stay the course.  So be patient and keep it positive.  Help kids learn that eating healthy is fun!

Resources:

Kids nutrition games

Parents' nutrition tools

More tips and tricks on bringing nutrition to the home.

Printable family tips sheets

 

 

1 Comment

 
Ann
Monday, Nov 09, 2009 @ 09:55 AM

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I think this is great! So many long-term health problems are tied to someone's "relationship" with food, meaning the environment they grew up eating in. Nowadays there is so much stress around mealtime, rushing, etc. and not enough planning, structure and enjoyment. Good post!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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