Getting your kids to eat

A few year’s ago, my friend’s husband came home from work to find his adorable 3 year old daughter dressed up in a McDonald’s french fry outfit. “Wow, she’s turned into what she eats!” Sound familiar? Before you head out to find the latest book on how to get your kids to eat better, take heart – this is par for the course, and happens to the best of us!

Here are some “truths” to ponder about kids and food:
*children’s menus at restaurants all have the same few foods because kids simply don’t have adult tastes.
*we often are surprised when the meal we prepared with love is greated by: “I don’t care what it is, I’m not eating it!”, yet we decide on our own meals each day.
*our hectic, overscheduled lives rarely allow for more than zappable meals or drive-thru.

What should kids eat to provide for optimal growth and development? According to current USDA Food Pyramids for kids (www.nichd.nih.gov), the typical 2-6 year old needs daily:
*a tad of fats and sweets
*2 servings Milk
*2servings Meat
*2 servings Fruit
*3 servings Veggies
*6 servings Grain

This is actually the same pyramid as for adults but with a touch more fruit and grains, and larger portion sizes for adults. From a child’s perspective, however, this pyramid is tipped upside down in terms of their tastes – they’d rather eat more of what is on the top and less of what is on the bottom. And, many would rather just cut out the middle altogether: that’s where the fruits and veggies live. One word to the wise: these pyramids are based on current knowledge of what is “healthy” – it’s anyone’s guess what future research will tell us we should be eating!

For success with your kids, some creative substitutions make their pyramid very usable and even enjoyable:
*peanut butter counts as a meat as well as eggs and dry beans
*pasta is a grain as is rice and most of what our kids eat
*fruit juice and canned fruit counts as a fruit (but limit juice to no more than 2 cups a day!)
*yogurt and cheese, and pudding cups all count as a milk serving
*it does not specify variety so if your child only loves one or two types of fruits or veggies, given them those all the time!
*small stomachs need small portions!

What the pyramid does not include are the real-life considerations when trying to get kids to eat and be healthy. Here are some ideas that may help you make food a more enjoyable and healthy part of your family’s lives:
• Be flexible. Don’t use food as a punishment and avoid forcing your child to ea

• Give your child choices where possible and make meal time fun

• Set a good example for your kids and eat healthy yourself!

• How about making a weekend tradition of a family lunch or dinner? How about having dessert together if your kids eat dinner much earlier than you do?

• Turn filling in the pyramid into a game where each evening your kids color in the food groups they have eaten that day. Start small – one veggie and fruit a day and come up with a reward system for “completing” each level. Kids love games and winning – use that to your advantage here and all of you will win in the end!

When in doubt, cut your losses. So your 4 year old is only eating PB&J or your 13 year old has given up every green food – it’s not the end of the world!

© 2005 Pediatrics Now.
All rights reserved. PEDIATRICS NOW is a trademark of Pediatrics Now.

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