By: Maureen Meehan

As a mother, a teacher, and a youth softball coach, I interact with children an awful lot. Over the last few years, since I myself have learned the value of good nutrition, I have made it a goal of mine to teach the children around me good eating habits as well.

Click To Enlarge.
Author Maureen Meehan, Has Made It Her Goal To
Teach Children Around Her Good Eating Habits.

Obesity is on the rise in this country. 1 out of every 3 children is now considered overweight, or obese. Partially due to their sedentary lives, children spend much of their time watching television, playing video games or tooling around on the computer.

While genetics plays a role, it can not explain the obesity crisis we now face. Believe it or not, children do enjoy nutritious foods, but when tempted by the fast food industry and the plethora of sugar filled snacks offered today, they of course choose the later.

Acclimating To A Healthier Lifestyle

Preventing obesity means adjusting, or acclimating children to a healthier lifestyle. Much of what is eaten now-a-days is quick and easy, from fatty fast food restaurants to microwave and prepackaged foods. Portion sizes are extremely high. Taken all of this into account, we can better understand why children are more susceptible to being overweight.

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I decided, some time ago, to make a diary of what I was feeding my children. I wanted to break down the nutritional content of the foods they were consuming to see if they were getting the vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and protein needed in their diets.

I thought I was doing a good job, but was shocked to see the outcome. There was way too much sugar, not nearly enough protein and they were not receiving the recommended vitamin intake. A change had to be made.

We are an extremely busy family. Two working parents, all three children go to karate twice a week, and all three do an additional sport each season. My husband and I both coach our children and I am a bodybuilder, going to the gym 6 days a week. There are days that we leave the house at 7am and do not return until 8pm.

How was I going to provide them with nutritious meals on the go? Well, the first thing I did was preplan everything that was going to be eaten for the week.

Giving Them A Choice

I sat down with my kids and talked about the necessary changes we needed to make and the adjustments we needed to make to their diet. I gave them a breakdown of what they needed and allowed them to make the choices. That right there was the breaking point! I allowed them to choose.

For my youngest son, who was only 4 at the time, I cut out pictures of foods. I gave him paper plates and had him 'make' his own meals. While I had never allowed my kids to buy school lunches, I now let them create their own, choosing the contents of their lunch bags from the choices I gave them.

Getting Enough Protein?

My biggest problem was protein. My children were not getting the protein they needed, and it was really tough getting it in. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) updates from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences recommends that children 1-3 intake 1.1 grams/kg body weight/day, children 4-13g, 0.95 and children 14-18, 0.85g.

As a bodybuilder, I drink protein shakes every day. I never thought of giving my kids a shake! Now my kids have at least a shake a day. Chocolate milk? Add chocolate powder. Strawberry milk? Add strawberry powder. Vanilla milk? Add vanilla powder. But that was just the beginning.

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My kids began to add other ingredients to their shakes. Instead of eating a piece of fruit, they dropped it in the blender with their milk and powder. They started having contests with each other: who could make the best shake.

They make Reeses cup (milk, chocolate powder, and peanut butter), Monkey Madness (milk, vanilla powder, banana and peanut butter), Super Hero (Orange juice, vanilla powder, and berries) and Banana Bananza Pie (milk, vanilla powder, bananas and graham crackers) to name a few. While making the shakes is fun, naming them is a blast! And when their friends come over, they include them too.

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While Making The Shakes Is Fun,
Naming Them Is A Blast!

Being A Good Role Model

Research has shown that people in the same family tend to have like eating patterns. Just as adults are role models in sports, music, leadership, etc., adults too are setting the stage for children's eating habits. They will follow your lead and adopt the same attitudes towards eating patterns.

As parents, we need to enforce the importance of good eating habits. As educators, we need to enforce the importance of good eating habits. As coaches, we need to enforce the importance of good eating habits.

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A treat here and there is not going to kill us. It's moderation and portion size that concerns me most. It's the class party with cupcakes, donuts, cookies, chips, candy and juice. The plates made by the children must contain 100 grams of sugar and 50 grams of fat! Can we be advocates for our children and request healthy snacks? Kids love carrots and ranch, apples and peanut butter, fresh fruit with a dab of whipped topping, etc.

Like I said earlier, we live in a busy world. Time never seems to be on our side. But taking the few extra moments to prepare something more nutritious for our kids will be worth it in the end. Studies also show that students who eat a nutritious breakfast have higher test scores and tend to eat less at lunch. Take the pop tarts out of the cabinet and replace them with real fruit, yogurt and whole wheat toast for breakfast.

Get Them Moving

Our children must be active. Limit the amount of TV. Again, give them choice. Designate a set number of hours per week. Once that is up, the TV is off limits. I used TV tickets at one time. Each ticket was worth 30 minutes of TV. Before my kids could turn on the television, they had to give me a ticket. Once they were out of tickets, they had no more TV privileges.

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Designate A Set Number Of Hours
Per Week For Television.

Get your child involved in a sport, or encourage a youngster you know to participate in one. Sports give children activity, confidence, responsibility, and the skills to work with others.

Conclusion

A child that eats healthy foods today will be more likely to make better food and nutrition choices as adults. A child that is active today will be more likely to be active as an adult. Alike, children who eat unhealthy food choices today will be more likely to make poor food and nutritional choices as adults. A child that is inactive today will be more likely to be inactive as an adult.

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