Healthy Food and Happy Meal Times for your Family NOTE: To replace a picture, just select and delete it. Then use the Insert Picture icon to replace it with one of your own! Family Nutrition Healthy Food and Happy Meal Times for your Family

This is work… Any lifestyle change requires a little bit of effort, open mindedness, and honesty… What am I doing at home? How have we been eating and conducting mealtimes in our house until now? And what type of changes would we like to make for the future? These are all real questions to ask yourself.  If you are in this workshop, you are already showing willingness.  

We are all short on time… We all have a responsibility to take care of our children. We are trying to feed our children WELL. We are trying to feed our children NOW. Shortcuts

Who is in control of your meal times? If your child is in control, you are likely headed for trouble or you have already found it.

Division of Responsibility is about building a TRUST relationship with your child with the ultimate goal of helping your child to develop a healthy relationship with food.

NO GRAZING WHEN Establish a reliable routine for eating. Young children need to eat every 2-3 hours: 3 Meals, 2-3 Snacks NO GRAZING Give water between meals and snacks.

WHERE Family style meals at the table. Children eat best when they sit down to eat at the table and are free of distractions.

WHAT Offer a variety of foods without pressure. The amounts and types of foods that young children eat vary greatly any given day or week, but their diet will tend to balance out over several days. Sometimes children will have a growth spurt and eat more. Sometimes they will eat less or nothing at all.

Feeding Guidelines 1-2 Grains or Carbohydrates, 1 as Bread 2 Fruits/Vegetables 1 Dairy or Dairy Substitute 1 Meat or Bean (Protein)

Create food index cards. Make a list of foods you like and you want to eat again. Card 3 *Does your child prefer Sweet, Salty, Smooth, Crunchy *List any accepted condiments. Card 1 Make a list of your child’s favorite or almost always accepted foods. Card 2 Make a list of foods that your child usually eats. Include at the bottom foods he has eater in the past. Parent Activity Create food index cards.

Planning Meals and Snacks At each meal and snack serve one thing from your child’s preferred foods. After some time, substitute one thing for your child’s 2nd card instead of a favorite food at one meal or snack during the day. KEY is to avoid pressure and make meal times pleasant by letting your child decide HOW MUCH and WHETHER to eat.

Create a routine that works for your family. Wash your hands Stop to Pray, Say Thanks

What happens when we pressure? Bargaining Threatening Punishment Bribing What happens when we pressure? The ultimate goal is that the child can listen to her body. Am I full? Do I like this food?

Positive pressure is still PRESSURE Me Gusta

Distractions

“You don’t have to eat it, but please say ‘No Thank You.’” No me gusta “You don’t have to eat it, but please say ‘No Thank You.’”

I don’t want that…I want this!

I’m not eating anything at all! “You don’t have to eat, but you are an important part of our family. You can leave the table in a few minutes.”

I left the table, but now I want to eat. “I’m so sorry—lunch is over. We will eat again soon. You may go and play.” I left the table, but now I want to eat.

Veggie Pressure! Pressure to eat vegetables won’t make your child like vegetables more, and will probably make him like them less. Offer Fruit: Fruit has basically the same nutrient and fiber content as vegetables. Try serving veggies in different ways: raw, cooked, crinkle-cut Offer toppings, condiments, and dips. Add fat, flavor or even a little sugar. The best veggies are fresh. Frozen are OK. Vegetables lose many nutrients when canned.

A Rainbow of Nutrients.

Children need about .5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.

Salt and Sugar

Sweets Take the scarcity out of the equation. Serve a single portion of dessert with the meal. The child can eat it at any time. Offer a dessert item as a sweet snack choice with another snack choice. The child may eat as much as he wants of either snack choice. He will learn from consequence of eating too many sweets. At FHNP, we do teach children about healthy foods. We don’t call foods “good” and “bad,” but we do teach the children to recognize healthy foods. At snacks children look in their lunchbox for their healthy snacks. This initiates lots of great conversations about food. At meals, we ask the children to eat something else first, then they may eat any snacks or desserts in their lunchbox.

Picky Eaters Be careful about labeling your child a picky eater. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Don’t set your child up to reject food: “You don’t like…” “You don’t eat ….” There is a process for learning to like new foods. A child may look at it, touch it, put it in her mouth, and spit it out. Keep offering it periodically and she may try it and like it.

Healthy Snacks Snack time is reliable and follows a predictable routine. Give options for snack and serve “family style.” Sit with your child for snack.

Shopping and Planning The perimeter of the grocery store is generally the best. Check labels for fewer ingredients, and real ingredients that you can identify and pronounce. Don’t beat yourself up for taking shortcuts sometimes. Feeding is a marathon, not a sprint. Show Grocery bags and compare items. Give out handouts of grocery lists and recipes. Raffle off the bag of groceries.

It’s all about BALANCE. Balance what you offer your child to eat. Be Flexible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xtnH0fxDUg It’s all about BALANCE. Balance what you offer your child to eat. Juice is OK Sweets are OK Eating more is OK Eating less is OK Make your meals real Happy Meals!