Influence

I have been reading about habits and the influence that they can have on our lives and the lives of others. As a fitness professional, I am disappointed when I see kids that are obese. When I see kids, I normally take a look at their examples, which are usually mom, dad, or both. Childhood obesity is a big problem. Most children do not get enough fruits and vegetables and habits learned in childhood tend to follow kids throughout their lives. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, kids ages 2-18 get most of their calories from two foods/food groups: milk and cakes/cookies/quick bread/pastry/pie. In addition, kids get their carbohydrates primarily from soft drinks and rolls. Their fat comes mainly from cheese and from crackers/popcorn/pretzels/chips. So, this is why I am so passionate about teaching kids to eat right. This is very serious because we need our kids to be healthy. What I have found through research is that parents feed their children poorly because they want to. They feed them poorly because it makes life run smoothly. I mean, who wants to battle with their kids at every meal? I have found more reasons why kids are not eating as healthy as they could. Take a look to see if any apply to you or someone you know. A. We do not want our kids to be hungry so we give them what they will eat regardless if it is healthy or not. B. We do not think our kids eat poorly because they eat one veggie a day. C. We have tried to give the healthy foods but they won't eat it and we are tired. D. We do not want to keep throwing away foods they will not eat. E. We think that being a kid means eating pizza, candy, ice cream, cookies, and cake. F. We do not think that children are capable of liking health food compared to junk food. So, now that we have identified a few situations, let us find some other ways to adjust this. Proportion, variety, and moderation can help transition their habits into a healthier behavior. Proportion is great to make sure the kids are eating the healthiest foods possible. They have variety by eating different foods from day to day and from meal to meal. Moderation is important when eating until satisfied and not eating to stuff yourself. Not eating when bored, sad, or lonely is a huge factor too. Make sure that the kids are getting the idea of variety. Reference: Dina Rose, I Understand Why Parents Feed Their Kids Unhealthy Foods, Psychology Today