In this article, I’ll try to provide parents a perspective on how to help your child build healthy eating habits by giving them the right support.
Childhood obesity is one of the most concerning health issues currently facing our society. The problem has been deepening over the years, and although the American public is increasingly aware of the magnitude of the problem, there are still no real solutions for it.
Parental support is one of the most important components in helping your child establish good eating habits and lose weight. It will be very difficult for the child to succeed in these goals without the right support and understanding from the child’s parents. The power to influence lasting change is in your hands as a parent, and even small efforts can have a significant impact on this process. These small changes can include giving a child positive feedback when he shows an effort to choose healthy foods and portions, buying the right food for the whole family (mostly healthy food with few “treats”), and understanding that your child will not make the best food choices all the time.
Here are the 5 top tips to help your child in the process of losing weight:
- Food responsibility is in your hands
The parent or primary caregiver is responsible for what enters the house when we are talking about food choices. This means that the child has only partial influence on his food choices. If you want to help your child succeed in the weight loss process, it is important to avoid buying foods that could be tempting but unhealthy for the child. At the same time, it is important to make sure you have the right foods available at home and readily accessible when your child opens the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets. Yes, for the child to choose healthy foods, it has to be easily reachable and displayed in an appealing - Don’t be judgmental
Your child is on a journey toward building healthy habits, so stop judging the child by only measuring his weight or his ability to limit portions. We want them to create new habits, and that is not easy — not for adults and not for a child. They need your help and support, especially when they are finding it difficult to resist unhealthy temptations. Be there for them! Tell them you understand it is not easy and ask how can you help? You could be surprised by the answers you receive. - Lower your expectations
As adults, we know that there is often a rapid decrease in weight at the beginning of a diet as you make dietary changes. In children and teenagers, however, that may not always be the case. Therefore, you have to understand and communicate to the child that you are just beginning a process that will last for a while. Everyone needs to have patience. Parents who expect rapid changes and are disappointed when they fail to materialize could be sending the wrong message to their If you feel that you might have this problem as a parent, you need to work on it. Lower your expectations, and let your child’s body transform at its own pace. - Recognize and praise small successes
If you see that your child has changed his behavior and is maintaining it, this is a success that should be acknowledged with praise! It is very important to give positive feedback for making the effort and changes to eat better. - Be a good role model for your kids
There is no substitute for a personal example! You can not ask your child to stop drinking sweet drinks while you “save the soda and juices for Dad.” Also, you can not ask the child to eat more vegetables when you do not touch them. If you ask something from your child, you should set a personal example and apply the rules to yourself. Think carefully about what message you are sending to the child around the family dinner table (and beyond), and adjust your behavior to the nutritional guidelines you are asking your child to keep.
 |
Yael Dror is a Pediatric Nutritionist. She holds a Master’s degree in Physiology from Tel Aviv University and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and most importantly, Yael is a mother of 3 active children. Yael is a former professional athlete and is a co-founder of Habitz. |