What's for Dinner?
Dinner at the Jordan house is usually a pleasant affair with occasional confrontation. But it used to be worse. “It got to be so chaotic trying to please everybody,” says Beth Jordan, a mother of three.
Jordan says it changed when she decided to stop being a short order cook and laid down the law telling the kids they could eat what was offered and nothing more.
Experts say that kind of approach is the only way to get kids on the right track. “The parent has to decide what is offered and when it’s offered and really has to leave it up to the child to decide whether they’re going to eat and how much they’re going to eat,” says Dr. Howell Weschler with the Centers for Disease Control Prevention.
Getting kids to try new, healthy foods can be a tricky affair. Allowing them limited, healthy choices can help.
If kids are allowed some discretion like choosing between servings of fruit or vegetables, they may even stop battling and learn the benefits of a good diet. Beth’s ten-year-old son, Brian, says he now appreciates his mother’s efforts to keep him healthy.
What Parents Should Know
The American Dietetic Association recommends the following tips for teaching kids to eat healthy and making the dinnertime hour more pleasant:
- Schedule all meals and snacks – casual snacks can lead to weight problems.
- Turn off the TV during meals.
- Create an inviting and pleasant mealtime atmosphere.
- Sit down and eat with your children. You can’t be a good role model if you are not there.
- Model good table manners. Compliment children when they do it right more than scolding them when they do it wrong.
- Eat the same food you prepare for the kids unless there is a specific reason that you can’t.
- Prepare a variety of foods that look good and taste good.
- Give children small portions and allow them to have more if they want.
- Don’t force a clean plate.
- Don’t make dessert a treat.
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“It got to be so chaotic trying to please everybody. When I didn‘t cook what they wanted , we were dealing with a temper tantrum.” Beth Jordan, Mom |
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Mealtime Rules Experts say the best way to maintain peace at the dinner table is to follow these rules: 1) Offer
but don’t order kids to eat new foods. Don’t get hurt feelings if
kids won’t eat what you prepared. |
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Taste Buds Kids aren’t naturally finicky, they are just inexperienced. Research shows it can take between 15 and 20 tasting efforts before a child will actually learn to like a food. Kids experience foods with all of their senses including touch, smell, sight, and taste. The best way to get them to accept new foods is to let them explore. They may need to see it, smell it, and touch it before they actually want to put the food in their mouth. Also remember that young kids generally like crunchy textures rather than mushy ones. Raw broccoli, for example, is usually preferable to the cooked version. |
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Resources
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"How
to Get Your Kid to Eat . . . But Not to Much," |
For
more information on parenting issues contact us: Connecting with Kids |