Feed Me, I’m Yours! * *Special thanks to author Vicki Lansky and illustrator Kathy Rogers-- 43 years and going strong! Linda Lee Wood BSN, RN, NCSN

Some statistics… Research shows that: sodium, saturated fat 25 percent When kids do eat vegetables

Some more statistics… Even more disturbing…. On any given day, more preschoolers will consume than will eat fruits or vegetables! ​Sugared beverages, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza and whole milk are the major contributors of empty calories.

TV time and what goes with it… ​​Children age 5-8 spend an average of 2 hours a day watching television. On average children are exposed to approximately 5,400 advertisements annually for food/beverages  Estimates indicate that the food and beverage industry spend $1.6 billion per year to market products to children

Who are they advertising to?

Need for activity… ​Children under age 5 fail to meet physical activity guidelines Preschoolers 60 minutes of structured activity 60 minutes of unstructured activity Probably closer to 3 HOURS TOTAL!

Interesting information… ​DAILY basis ~50% of U.S. 3-year-olds consume sweetened beverages, ~75% consume desserts or candies ​10% to 15% of total calories from sugar-sweetened beverages/100% fruit juice ​Decrease in sleep over the past 20 years NEED: 11-13 hours each night Naps should cease by 5 years old 

Mobile devices… ​50% of all children ages 0 to 8 have used mobile apps 45% of children have daily to weekly access to mobile devices (smart phone, video iPod, iPad or similar device) to play games, watch videos, or use other apps 

Why so many preschoolers have bad eating habits: The Snack Mistake The Cooking Mistake The Hunger Mistake

THE SNACK MISTAKE… Thinking about snacks as mini-meals can be a mistake. A big one… SNACK ≠ MINI-MEAL mini-meal ideas from pizza and other unhealthy favorites…. END UP WITH TOO MUCH SALT, SUGAR, FAT TOO MANY CALORIES REINFORCES POOR FOOD CHOICES TRAINS TASTE BUDS AWAY FROM FRUITS AND VEGGIES

How to fix it… Used correctly, snacks can teach your preschooler to eat right! Be mindful of the types of meals that are influencing your snack decisions. Rotate fruits, vegetables, cheese and processed snack foods through the line-up in proportion to their healthful benefits.

The Cooking Mistake… Types of family cooks  giving cooks healthy cooks innovative cooks methodical cooks competitive cooks

The giving cook… Specialties: comfort foods traditional favorites provides lots of home-baked goodies use family favorites to express their love -wrong lessons about food and eating. -over-love = over-feed

Other concerns… It doesn’t end with food=love… Other ways parents teach the wrong message about food: food=comfort (awww… have some chocolate cake, that will make you feel better!) food=reward (congratulations– let’s go have ice cream!) food=guilt (but I worked all day to cook this… you HAVE to eat it!) food=punishment (if you don’t clean your room you won’t get dessert!)

EAT TO LIVE, DON’T LIVE TO EAT! The fix… Teach your toddler about proportions: provide food in relation to their healthful benefits offer treats occasionally. minimize the time food is used as a tool use food to satisfy hunger, not to soothe a needy soul EAT TO LIVE, DON’T LIVE TO EAT!

The Hunger Mistake… THE BIG DISCONNECT how much young children need to eat vs. how much we want them to eat

The research most mothers start out letting their infants decide when to start and stop eating sometime between 6 and 12 months, mothers become less likely to use their infant’s cues to feed them mothers who use food to soothe their toddlers when they are fussy, but not hungry, may be more likely to overfeed them

Fix it… Figure out WHY you want your child to eat more ? Decide what you want your child to LEARN about eating, and make sure that that’s what you’re teaching.  Once your lessons are on track, you need to TRUST YOUR CHILD. 

PORTION DISTORTION! You really do need to be aware of serving sizes, especially for preschoolers.

How much does your preschooler need to eat? DEPENDS… on height, weight, and activity level! Check out the following foods for portion distortion!

THEN and NOW… Courtesy of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Obesity Education Initiative Comparisons of food serving sizes from 20 years ago compared to NOW…

CHEESEBURGER Today 20 Years Ago 333 calories 590 calories Calorie Difference: 257 calories

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS 20 Years Ago Today 500 calories 1 cup spaghetti with sauce and 3 small meatballs 1,025 calories 2 cups of pasta with sauce and 3 large meatballs Calorie Difference: 525 calories

TURKEY SANDWICH 20 Years Ago Today 320 calories 820 calories Calorie Difference: 500 calories

MUFFIN 210 calories 500 calories 1.5 ounces 4 ounces 20 Years Ago Today 210 calories 1.5 ounces 500 calories 4 ounces Calorie Difference: 290 calories

POPCORN 270 calories 630 calories 11 cups 5 cups 20 Years Ago Today 270 calories 5 cups 630 calories 11 cups Calorie Difference: 360 calories

PEPPERONI PIZZA 500 calories 850 calories 20 Years Ago Today 500 calories 850 calories Calorie Difference: 350 calories

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE 55 calories 275 calories 1.5 inch diameter 20 Years Ago Today 55 calories 1.5 inch diameter 275 calories 3.5 inch diameter Calorie Difference: 220 calories

HELPFUL HINTS… HIDE the fruit or veggie in another dish. 2-bite rule (can go by age). Let your child pick out the fruit / veggie they want to try at the store– they pick it out, so they need to try it! Sit down as a family and eat together– if your child never sees YOU eat healthy food, how can you expect them to do it? (E-BAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!) NO battles at the table. If your child chooses NOT to eat, let them know that you will not be fixing anything else for them later…and STICK TO IT! Use smaller plates and bowls.

Helpful websites… https://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschooler-growth-chart https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate-Daily-Checklist-input https://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx http://meadowood.aurorak12.org/

Portion sizes…

TWO GREAT BOOKS!! FEED ME I’M YOURS by Vicki Lansky DECEPTIVELY DELICIOUS by Jessica Seinfeld

QUESTIONS?