Vandergraff says that too often kids grab soda pop and chips or candy as soon as they get home from school because the food is right at their fingertips. A challenge for parents is to make healthy food more accessible. Rather than potato chips and cookies, have cut-up fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator or fresh fruit on the counter. Other good snack foods include yogurt, raisins, dry cereal and bagels. Snacking helps to refuel the body, but you should encourage your children to snack smart.
Mom continues to be the top influencing factor when it comes to the food choices that children make.
Girls whose mothers reported dieting were more than twice as likely to have ideas, concepts and beliefs about dieting than those girls whose mothers were not dieting. If we get children eating healthy food combined with healthy activity, this can help them establish healthy habits that last a lifetime. For parents, she offers three key nutrition tips. Select food based on the Food Guide Pyramid. Each food group contributes certain nutrients to the diet.