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The AAP suggests that using moderate amounts of fat and sugar can be a powerful tool to help children eat a healthier diet. This may throw some parents into a tailspin, but the advice is sound. A healthy diet can include all foods in moderation. That is the pleasure of eating. Avoiding some food altogether or severely limiting choices often makes the food more desirable and turns eating into a chore.
A good example of this moderate approach to food selection is the milk served with school lunch. The School Nutrition Association showed that when flavored, lowfat milk was removed from the school cafeteria, kids drank less milk (https://schoolnutrition.org/uploadedFiles/Resources_and_Research/Marketting_and_Communications/Final_Ann%20School%20Survey%20Summary%20for%20SNA%20Members%20Rev_101812(2).pdf). In some schools studied there was a 50% decrease in milk consumption. Milk is an excellent source of calcium, vitamins A and D, potassium, magnesium and protein. Cut out the milk and some kids never make up the nutrient shortfalls. Compared to soda or fruit drinks, lowfat chocolate milk isn't a bad choice. This is a good use of a moderate amount of sugar to promote a healthy food choice.
Instead of classifying foods as good-for-you and bad-for-you, parents would be wiser to categorize food by portion size. Eat smaller amounts of candy and ice cream. Offer a chocolate candy kiss instead of a chocolate bar. Serve a half-cup of ice cream instead of a soup bowlful. Buy 100-calorie packages of cookies instead of opening a box. Learning portion moderation at an early age can go a long way toward helping children eat the right amount throughout life.
Large portions and membership in the Clean Plate Club can override a child's natural feeling of fullness, establishing the habit of overeating. Offer small portions. A rough guideline is 1 tablespoon of food for each year of age. A 4-year old should be given a quarter cup of spaghetti. If they want more let them ask. Don't worry about how much your child eats. There will be days when they eat very little and other days when you can't fill them up. That's perfectly normal. They are eating to appetite, something many adults need to relearn.
To encourage variety, offer three foods at every meal. Don't worry if the combinations are odd, variety is the cornerstone of a healthy diet. For the 4-year old eating the small serving of spaghetti you could add one meatball and some apple slices - protein, carbohydrate and fruit - a good balanced meal.
When it comes to less desirable choices, use compromise and ingenuity, rather than becoming the family food enforcer. Kids should drink water, most do not drink enough. Try freezing lemonade or any juice they like into ice cubes and put one or two into a glass of water. If your kids turn up their nose at grapefruit or oatmeal, try sprinkling it with a little brown sugar. A quarter teaspoon of sugar has only 4 calories but they can go a long way toward promoting a healthier choice.
The battle over buying presweetened, ready-to-eat cereal has been raging since the first sugar coated cereal hit the supermarket shelves. First, put these cereals into perspective. They are based in a grain, sometimes a whole grain, they are low in fat, some have fiber, and all are fortified with needed vitamins and minerals. That being said, I agree, you don't want your children diving into the box head first. Try this. Buy the presweetened cereal they want along with a healthier cereal you choose. Depending on your child's age, put a ¼ or 1/3 measuring cup into the sugared cereal box and use it to top off the better choice. You can also use a half cup portion of the sweetened cereal as a snack. It is a far healthier choice than chips, cookies or candy. You have taught your child two valuable eating lessons. Every food has a place but the amount we eat of some foods needs to be limited.
Bottom line: Healthy eating is an endless compromise but well worth the effort.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.
Look for:
The Diabetes Counter, 5th Ed., 2014
The Fat and Cholesterol Counter, 2014
The Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2013
The Calorie Counter, 6th Ed., 2013
The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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