Raising a Healthy Eater

I wrote this post as a participant in the Eat, Play, Love blog carnival hosted by Meals Matter and Dairy Council of California to share ideas on positive and fun ways to teach children healthy eating habits. A list of other registered dietitians and moms who are participating in the carnival will be listed at the bottom of this post or can be found on Meals Matter.

Growing up in the 70’s, my single mother was responsible for feeding three kids. When I was born, my brother was four and my sister was two, so my Mom’s “feeding style” was pretty well in place by then. She probably had no idea at the time what a feeding style was, but lucky for me, she set a good example; she fed us healthy food, we ate most of her home-cooked meals as a family, and we rarely ate out.

A fairly new Mom myself, I strive to feed my daughter the way my Mom fed me. However, mealtimes at my house have often left me unfulfilled, frustrated, and insecure. Why? Maybe because I had a great role model and I fear that I won’t be one myself? Or perhaps because I love healthy eating, my expectations are too high for my family’s regard for healthy foods? Or, maybe just because it’s really hard. Who knows. What I do know is trying to live up to Mom is tough! For one, my life is way different than my Mom’s was in the 70’s – as is true for most parents of today. In fact, the parents I work with often struggle feeding themselves in a healthy way – forget about the kids!

When feeding my preschooler, I struggle with being too strict about sweets to being overly obsessive about her eating enough. I often worried and complained to my Mom about my daughter not finishing her dinner. One day she shared with me a simple philosophy: “If she’s hungry, she will eat.” Those six words have stuck with me to this day and are especially helpful on those nights when I do my best to provide my daughter a delicious and well-balanced meal, and then she barely eats it.

Being a Dietitian, I know the basics about feeding kids — I definitely have the “what” to feed part down. It’s the “how” part that I’ve had to learn on the job – and I’ve gotten a lot of hands-on experience over the last three years! Besides not worrying so much, my best advice for feeding your children (no matter the age) is to have a schedule in place. I know it’s hard for working parents to be consistent, but life is so much better (for everyone) when you create a feeding schedule for meals and snacks, and you stick with it. By doing this, you create an environment that is conducive to finishing meals, trying new foods, and stress-free mealtimes. In addition to my Mom’s sage advice, below are a few more “words of wisdom” that have helped me along the way. I hope they can help you, too.

YOU are responsible for providing the food your child will eat; SHE is responsible for what and how much she eats of it.

YOU control what food comes into the house; your pantry is your child’s grocery store!

YOU regulate the timing and type of snacks your child eats. Provide a balanced snack about 3 hours before dinner and I bet even the pickiest eater will clean his plate (even the broccoli)!

Don’t stop here! Join the carnival and read other Eat, Play, Love blogs from dietitians and moms offering the best advice on raising healthy eaters. And if you don’t get enough today, for more positive, realistic and actionable advice from registered dietitian moms, register for the free, live webinar Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters on Wednesday, May 18.