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

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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Who are they advertising to?

6. 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!

7. 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: hours each night
Naps should cease by 5 years old 

8. 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 

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

10. 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

11. 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.

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

13. 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

14. 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!)

15. 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!

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

17. 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

18. 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. 

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

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

21. 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…

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

23. 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

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

25. 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

26. 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

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

28. 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

29. 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.

30. Helpful websites…

31. Portion sizes…

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

33. QUESTIONS?