Helping Kids Make Good Dietary Choices at School
Controlling your children’s diet before they start school is not too difficult, since they are almost entirely dependent on you to provide sustenance. But once they’re out the door and on their way to school, you lose the ability to ensure that they’re partaking of nutritious foods and beverages. However, you can still influence your kids to make good choices even when you’re not around. By providing them with healthy options and teaching them to eat right, you can give them the best chance to make good decisions when it comes to their diet. Here’s how.
1. Lead by example. Teach your children well! By eating a healthy diet at home and teaching your children to love healthy foods such as light chicken recipes and non sugary beverages, you’re instilling them with the habits that will lead to a long and healthy life where their diet is concerned. Of course, children are probably going to want to experiment with whatever their friends are eating, and unfortunately, that could mean a lot of sugar, fat, and preservatives. But most kids always come back to what is familiar, so if you start them out right, they’re going to make healthier decisions in the long run.
2. Pack lunches and snacks. One of the easiest ways to help your kids make smart choices is to select their food and drinks for them. By making the decision to give them items that will last throughout the day, you can help to ensure that they at least have healthy options within easy reach. You may not be able to control what they do when they’re out of sight, but you can definitely make their decision easier by taking the onus off of them to make it without any guidance.
3. Let kids choose. Okay, I know I just said that you need to make the choice for your kids. But if they select the items that are going in their lunch box, they’re a lot more likely to eat them. So offer a number of healthy choices (make sure some of them are fun) and let your kids take the lunch they want. They’ll still get the healthy foods you want them to have, but it will be on their terms, empowering them to make good decisions about their diet now and in the future.
4. Petition the school to remove vending machines. This is a biggie. Many schools strapped for cash turn to vending machines full of sugar- and sodium-laden snacks that get kids hooked and keep them pumping dollars into the machine (and the school). However, while this might improve the quality of education offered to your child, it won’t improve their diet or their disposition. Get other parents on board to keep local schools healthy. At the very least, strive for a compromise with vending machines that feature fruit and veggie snacks or water (instead of soda).
5. Petition the state for a healthy lunchroom initiative. With First Lady Michelle Obama spearheading efforts to improve the health of our nation’s children, the time is right to make some noise with your state legislature. An education is important, but not at the expense of your child’s health. So defy lawmakers to take the steps necessary to attend to the physical needs of students as well as fulfilling educational requirements.
Jennifer Kardish writes for Momswhothink.com where you can find amazing recipes, informative parenting articles, diet and nutrition advice, and much more.