Get Your Nutrition Game On: Be your kids next top role model!

Calling all parents! Needed: moms and dads with the tools it takes to get their kids to eat right, exercise and have a healthy lifestyle. Sounds challenging? Nah, I will show you it’s not as hard as it seems and how being healthy just makes sense.

As a parent, I have learned that getting kids to eat healthy is not only hard; it’s sometimes downright impossible. What kid chooses broccoli over ice cream? Not my precious angels. But, as a dietitian, I have some tricks up my sleeve that work every time. It’s not only about providing them with healthy choices, it is also about how we act about food, health, exercise and our own body image that will make a difference between a healthy kid and one that may be over-weight or even worse—obese.

Healthy Changes the Whole Family Can Benefit From:

Children with inadequate diets are more likely to be over-weight, sick, irritable and anxious, and unable to concentrate for long periods of time. On the other hard, fueling our kids with balanced foods will help them feel better, perform well in school, and allow them to maintain the growth and development they need. As parents, we need to step-up to the plate and show our kids that it is not only important for them to follow a healthful diet, but for us. We also want to be sick less often, do better at our own jobs, and feel better throughout each day, don’t we?

Start off each day by making nutrition a positive force. Eat Breakfast, even if you can find 100 reasons to skip it. Breakfast is not only important for your health and weight; your kids need to see you doing what they should also do. If traditional breakfasts don’t work for your family, try non-traditional things such as a pita pizza on a whole grain pita topped with cheese and sauce, a peanut butter and fruit spread sandwich on whole grain bread or a breakfast burrito made with eggs and grilled veggies. These meals are actually simple to make, too.

Another way to keep nutrition a top priority in your home is to get your kids involved in meal preparation. Even preschoolers can help pick out the ingredients for their meals. Children love to feel important and this is a great way to get them involved. You can have your children pick a night that they get to plan the dinner menu. Have your little ones help shop and prepare the meal. Older kids may actually be able to be the chef for the night and plan the theme and cook the entire meal. This is a fantastic “family fun night” and a great way to incorporate the concept of a family meal. Since most of us only eat as a family once a week, this will force you to make meal time an extremely important part of each week. Sounds better than take-out, doesn’t it?

Be a Fitness Role Model:

There are other factors, besides nutrition, that help us raise healthy children. Make fitness fun! Exercise is a vital part of keeping us fit, healthy, and our weight in check. Kids need to see parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles take a stand to exercise on a regular basis. Whether it is walking in your neighborhood, riding your bike to a friend’s house, hiking in a metro park or playing a game of soccer, making time for family exercise is another way for your family to have fun together. Make sure to schedule time for your family activities just like you would any other appointment you may have.

Balanced Families are Healthy Families:

In our fast-paced society, we over-extend ourselves to point of not having time for ourselves, our family and things we enjoy. Learn to say “no” to obligations that don’t make you happy to leave time for what matters most to you. Learn to not over-schedule your kids in too many activities that leave no time for the family. Leave time each month to do good in your community by volunteering. Use a planner or calendar. This works well not only for work requirements and appointments, but also for family and personal downtime.

Have a Positive Body Image:
I cannot emphasize enough what an important concept this is, especially for mothers of girls. Studies have shown that mothers who diet, or have poor body image, often raise daughters that have the same problems. If you are constantly dieting, what is that proving to your children? It is important to instill a positive body image not only for us, but also for our kids. Be happy with the body you have, and if you really are not, learn to make healthy lifestyle changes that the whole family can benefit from. Stop dieting! Learn to create balance in your lifestyle by including healthy foods that make us feel good and get lots of physical activity. Forget the quick fixes and the extremes. Show your children that it’s okay to have an occasional ice cream cone or candy bar as a special treat. The key is to nourish your children with healthy food choices and creative forms of exercise that will benefit you and them. What better gift to give them then the tools it takes to keep them healthy throughout their entire life? Become the most positive person in your child’s life. A role model that they will know as their own personal superstar!