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Feature/General
Developing a Healthy Relationship With Food
By Rhiannon Brewer
Mar/Apr 2007

These days, even preschoolers are often overweight and even obese. Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled over the past 30 years. Being overweight or obese causes many health problems, even for young children. Diseases like Type II Diabetes, once considered an adult disease, are showing up in children. Overweight preschoolers are likely to become overweight and obese adults.

Helping your child establish a healthy relationship with food is important, and it starts earlier than you think. Studies have shown that children who are breastfed exclusively for at least six months are less likely to become overweight or obese later in life, and trading the bottle for a cup by your child's first birthday is smart. Of course, things can get trickier when babies grow into strong willed toddlers and preschoolers.


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Marion Boyd, RDLD, is a registered, licensed dietician at the Clarke County Health Department in Athens. Many of her patients are preschoolers and their parents.

Boyd says adults often have a mindset about "kid food," and it isn't always healthy. While there is room in a balanced diet for chicken nuggets, hot dogs and even bologna, children do grow to like the foods they are exposed to. Boyd recommends putting a little of each food you have prepared on your child's plate at every meal, even if you know he isn't crazy about cauliflower. It can take 10 tries for a child to accept a new food.

Instead of waging a nightly battle at the dinner table, Boyd suggests parents try a relaxed approach to make meals more enjoyable for the whole family. It's your job as a parent to decide what foods to serve, when and where. The rest is up to your child.

"I like to tell parents to plan the meal, get them to the table, and you're off duty,"Boyd says. "Let your children decide what and how much they're going to eat. Kids eat when they are hungry. They won't starve."

When choosing foods for preschoolers, remember the Food Pyramid. Like adults, kids need a variety from the four food groups: eight servings of grains, three of vegetables, two of fruits, three to five of dairy and three of protein. Serving sizes for young children are one fourth to one half what adults should have. A young child's serving of dairy is half a cup of milk. Half a banana counts as a fruit serving. Fruit juice counts too, but even adults should limit fruit juice to six ounces a day as it is high in sugar.

Boyd suggests the tablespoon rule for young children - one tablespoon for each year of age. So a three year old would get three tablespoons each of rice, corn and chicken to start. He can always have more if he wants.

Also, avoid using foods as rewards or punishment. In other words, don't threaten to withhold dessert unless your child finishes her peas, or insist that your child sits at the table until he joins the clean plate club.

"If you do that, you make the dessert more important than the other food," Boyd says. "Instead, go ahead and put a small bite of dessert on everyone's plate with dinner. That way, there's no special emphasis on it."

Because a preschooler's tummy is about the size of her fist, she needs to eat small amounts of food frequently. Boyd recommends alternating meals and snacks so your child eats every two to three hours. Once you have a schedule, stick to it. Don't give in to your child's demands for cookies half an hour after she has refused a healthy lunch. Also, serve meals and snacks at the table - not in front of the television.

Finally, remember physical activity. Preschoolers need at least one hour of hard play a day.

If you think your preschooler may be overweight, do not make an issue out of it. Avoid negative comments and do not restrict your child's calories. Instead, offer plenty of choices of healthy foods.

"A lot of times it means controlling beverages and making changes for the whole family," Boyd says.
If in doubt, schedule an appointment with Boyd at the Clarke County Health Department. Anyone can use the health department's nutrition services, which include guidance for prenatal and breastfeeding moms, babies and children, in addition to adults who are trying to manage their weight or cardiovascular health issues, such as high cholesterol. Appointments are covered by Medicaid and Medicare, and fees are charged on a sliding scale. Call (706) 542-8600 for more information.

"It's best for food to just be food," Boyd says. "It's not a reward, it's not a punishment. It's just food."

Rhiannon Brewer is the Northeast Health District's public information officer and mom to a two year old who loves yogurt for dessert.

 

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