kids health diet

WHY?
Why is one of the first questions a child asks. They love to know the reason behind everything. The why of healthy eating and active living is key to making it a successful part of your family and to engaging your children in the process. Why are we doing this? Why is some food healthy? Why is there ‘sometimes’ food? Why do we need to exercise? Why are we changing the way we do things now? Why can’t we do this later? Be well armed with answers to all of these questions. If you are making big changes to the way you do things now, it will help your understanding and motivation too.


Gerald and Todd Nester, contestants on the upcoming season of The Biggest Loser
CONNECT YOUR FAMILY TO REAL FOOD
Grow it, pick it, plan it, discuss it, cook it. Visits to the fruit and vegetable shop, a herb pot in the back garden, a small vege patch, a visit to the farmers’ market, all of these things will encourage your children to connect with the smells, sights and tastes of real food and see that eating food from packets is not the way nature intended and that real food makes them feel better.

RECOGNISE THAT CHANGE IS ABOUT LOSS
If you are making big changes to introduce a healthier diet and lifestyle in your house, you may well encounter resistance. Humans actually fear loss, not change so recognise what is being lost when you make these changes. There may be perceived loss of comfort, special time spent with mum, recognition of good behaviour or some other significant things in your child’s mind. Try to replace these things so the changes you introduce don’t mean they are lost. Give them some other non-food ways to comfort themselves, spend active time with them rather than food time, etc.

TUNE THEM INTO THEIR BODIES SIGNALS
Your children need to be able to listen to their bodies so they know when they are hungry, thirsty and full. Are you hungry or are you bored, uncomfortable, anxious, thirsty? Sounds simple but it is one of the most important things you will teach your child in relation to food. The satiety centre of our brain tells us when we are full. It’s controlled by the Vagus nerve but this nerve has numerous roles and telling us when we are full is low on the list. When you finish a meal or snack, teach your children to wait 10 minutes to let their Vagus do its job. If they are still truly hungry after they wait, then they could think about having something healthy to finish off their meal.