Nutrition
Do
1. Appreciate your own body. If you appreciate your own body, your child will learn to appreciate his/hers as well. Focus on your favorite features instead of complaining about the things you don't like.
2. Consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat milk and whole grains daily. Studies show that parents who model healthy eating habits, such as drinking milk, are more likely to have children who do as well. If you want your child to drink milk or water, then you need to do the same thing.
3. Serve milk at every meal. Research shows that teens who drink milk instead of sugary sodas tend to weigh less and have less body fat. Consuming three servings of low-fat dairy (including milk) promotes strong bones and a lean, toned body.
4. Be physically active and enjoy it. Parents who value the importance of exercise positively influence an active lifestyle in their children. Likewise, inactive parents tend to have inactive children.
5. Eat family meals at home. Sharing meals together at home provides multiple opportunities for you to model healthy behaviors. Your own food and beverage choices may be more influential than anything else you do to help control what your children eat or drink.
Don't
1. Do not criticize your child's body. Compliment their positive attributes and teach by example. Criticisms lead to weight issues and potentially lasting problems with body image and self-esteem.
2. Do not be self-critical. Research has revealed that mothers concerned about their own weight, dieting practices and overeating are passed on to their daughters. In other words, mothers may unknowingly pass on poor body image and weight worries to their daughters.
3. Do not let sugary beverages dominate. Soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks are the #1 source of calories in a teen's diet. In addition, they provide no vital nutrients. If you limit your intake, your children will do the same.
4. Do not talk about your dieting. Instead of talking about dieting around your children, educate them on nutritious foods and how the benefit the body.
5. Do not use pressure. Pressuring your children will most likely backfire. Research suggests that modeling the desired behaviors is more effective for encouraging healthy choices.
This information was taken directly from the September 2007 issue of "Today's Dietitian" magazine.