Healthy Nutrition and Fitness for Children: Being a Role Model
By Michael Bihari, MD
President, Board of Directors, Community Health Center of Cape Cod and member of the Falmouth Public Schools Health Advisory Committee
A healthy lifestyle, including good nutrition and daily exercise, can help your children grow up in good physical shape. You can do a lot to improve nutrition and encourage healthy eating whether your child is a toddler, pre-school or school aged, or an adolescent. Promoting better eating habits and healthy activities for children should involve the whole family – parents and kids alike. It is easier to achieve good health and well-being when everyone in the family works together as a team.
Some of the best health and wellness strategies include the following:
Lead by example – be a role model by eating healthy and exercising.
Eat together – have regular family meals.
Avoid power struggles over food – don’t bargain or bribe for bites.
Serve a variety of foods and snacks – provide healthier choices.
Involve kids in the process – make menu decisions and cook together.
Be active together – you and your children will reap the benefits.
It is not easy to take these steps. Everyone in the family juggles busy schedules. Fast-food restaurants are everywhere. Supermarket shelves are lined with heavily advertised junk food, and schools have vending machines and snack bars filled with poor food choices. It is no surprise that as a parent you may need some help understanding what it means for your children to eat healthy.
HOW TO BE A ROLE MODEL
Kids do as you do, so set a good example by eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly. Practice the lifestyle that you would like your children to follow. If you are sitting in front of the television eating potato chips and drinking cola, you cannot expect your kids to be content with consuming fat-free milk and broccoli, or practicing for a junior marathon!
Your children follow the lead of the adults they see every day. Encourage their teachers, coaches, and other adults they see frequently to follow appropriate nutrition guidelines. Ask them not to use candy, soda, or similar snacks as a reward for scholastic or athletic accomplishments.
Other ways for you to be a good role model include:
- Serve healthy foods that you enjoy eating and offer them to your children.
- Limit your own portions of sugary snacks and drinks.
- Introduce more fruits and vegetables into the family’s diet.
- Try to avoid fad diets or frequent complaints about your body. These foster negative feelings about food in your children.
- Talk about your feelings of fullness with younger children when you are finished eating. For example, you might say, “This peanut butter sandwich is delicious, but my tummy is getting full, so I’m going to stop eating.”
Remember that your kids are watching and listening to you and your example is your children's most powerful learning tool!