Kid Safe

by Dr. David Nelson Ph.D.

Parents need to take back the control of what the family is eating by setting a role model with your kid’s bases on what you eat.  Educate yourselves on good eating habits and practice at home.  Your kids will most likely eat good or bad food based on what the parents are eating.

Encourage you and your children to try a new vegetable and fruit each week.  Offer a variety of healthy foods to create new eating habits.  Make meal time fun and enjoyable.

Encourage your family to eat three meals a day.  Especially BREAKFAST with some type of protein such as eggs or similar quality protein.  Reduce refined carbohydrates such as box cereals that have little of any quality nutritional value.

Eliminate refined carbohydrates and replace them with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains as rice, wild rice and oatmeal.  Eat 3 whole fruits a day and reduce the juices with adding more fresh water to the diet.  Eliminate soda pop and sugar fortified drinks.

Keep your child active in activities that encourage exercise and sports.  Have healthy foods such as fruits and nuts for snacks which help teach children to use these types of foods for energy instead of sugar.

Plan your meals and make it a family affair.  Get your children involved in helping with decisions on the menu for the meals.  This is an excellent time to teach about choices and the importance of meal planning.  Plan to eat together as a family.

As you shop for food makes this fun and educational time and place.  Teach the children the importance of eating food on the outside of the food isles where the fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy sections are.  The foods found in the boxes are processed as compared to the whole natural foods that are not.

As parents shopping at the grocery store teach your children about choosing the right foods by showing them the importance in reading labels.  This will show them it is important to look for good foods and choose the right foods to eat.

Get some professional advice and guidance in finding a good vitamin and mineral supplement.  This should never be a substitute for not eating well.  Good food always comes first.  Then supplement a good multiple vitamin in support of the good food program.

Last but not least by setting healthy nutrition rules by getting the children involved in the mealtime.  Have them help in setting the table for the meal and also in the preparation of the food.  This not only teaches the children the importance of the meal time together as a family but the critical nature of the importance to take time to prepare quality foods which will build and nourish the body.

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This information is not intended as a substitute for medical or individual nutritional advice. See your health professional for individual health and dietary concerns.

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