So how does this research apply to real-life
parenting? Can parents maintain mealtime rules and order, yet still
facilitate healthy eating habits in their children? Below are some
common sense guidelines for feeding kids:
Parents can set the menu and eating schedule. It is the parent's
job to offer a variety of healthful foods, oversee the planning
and assembly of meals, and set the schedule for meals and snacks.
How many choices you offer will depend upon your family’s
lifestyle.
Parents can also contribute to the development of healthy eating
habits by modeling positive food habits and appropriate behavior
around food.
When your children are young, start teaching them about nutrition.
Use a fun, colorful, chart of the food groups and the food pyramid
and then let them plan some of their own meals with the rule that
they have to include all the food groups.
Respect and trust your child's judgment of how much to eat. Children
naturally have wide swings in their appetite, eating large quantities
one day and virtually nothing the next.
Pay more attention to what they eat rather than how much they eat.
Accept it as final when your child states she is full. To prevent
food waste, initially offer small servings and encourage children
to ask for more. When children are old enough to serve themselves,
provide a gentle reminder such as "take what you think you
will eat." Never force kids to eat everything they take.
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