{"id":5394,"date":"2019-01-07T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=5394"},"modified":"2021-12-21T10:24:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T16:24:42","slug":"this-new-year-help-your-kids-adopt-healthier-eating-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/this-new-year-help-your-kids-adopt-healthier-eating-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Help your kids adopt healthier eating habits"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Worried about your kid’s diet?<\/p>\n

Talk to a primary care provider<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Are you concerned about your child\u2019s habits when it comes to eating and being physically active? Are you worried they may be overweight?<\/p>\n

If so, there are steps you can take as a parent to help get your kids on the right track to a healthier future.<\/p>\n

Parents can encourage their children to adopt healthier eating and activity habits, said Dr. Amy Christison<\/a>, medical director of Healthy Kids U<\/a>, a pediatric weight management program at OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want children to receive a message about working on their health rather than their looks so that we promote positive body-esteem and confidence,\u201d Dr. Christison said. \u201cWhat you want is to limit yo-yo dieting and promote a healthier lifestyle, that not just the child, but the entire family can maintain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts with a balanced approach to living. Parents, the way they model how they eat and how they are active, can have a huge impact on how children behave themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are six tips Dr. Christison offers for parents:<\/p>\n

1. Work as a team<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what body size a family member has. Everybody can benefit from having healthier habits,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about sharing the responsibility to work on habits together as a family so everyone can be healthier now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Avoid using the word \u201cdiet\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u201cFor most children, fad dieting or conforming to a very restrictive diet can have problems. I try to avoid the word, \u2018diet.\u2019\u201d Dr. Christison said. \u201cThe focus, especially for children, is in developing healthy habits so their bodies stay strong all of their lives. It\u2019s really about portion, frequency and balance. When someone hears the word, \u2018diet,\u2019 they often think about restriction. They then focus on what they can\u2019t have rather than what they can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Develop guidelines for the entire family<\/h2>\n

\"healthy\u201cThe general guideline is to work toward five servings (the size of a tennis ball) of fruits and vegetables a day,\u201d she said. \u201cOne way to get there is to make half of your plate fruits and veggies. If you\u2019re still hungry after 20 minutes, you can have seconds; more fruits and veggies, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

And reduce the amount of added sugar \u2013 especially in beverages like soda, sports drinks and tea \u2013 it\u2019s just a lot of empty calories. Instead, work on drinking more water \u2013 six to eight glasses per day, Dr. Christison said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important, too, to have structured eating<\/a> \u2013 breakfast, lunch, one snack and dinner. Find other things to do instead of eating when it\u2019s not time yet, such as playing a game, having a dance party, going outside, drawing or drinking more water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t an evil food, per say \u2013 it\u2019s about minimizing things that are less desirable \u2013 fried food, fast food, desserts,\u201d she said. \u201cPlan how often you will allow yourselves to eat these foods as a family like limiting to one dessert on Sunday and having fruit the rest of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Limit screen time and get sweaty<\/h2>\n

\u201cI like to suggest limiting screen time to two hours or less a day,\u201d Dr. Christison said. \u201cGetting active is very important, too. We suggest almost an hour a day of moderate to vigorous movement. Get sweaty. Do it together as a family. That hour can even be broken up in 15-minute increments throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, using technology can make activities more enjoyable for children. Count steps using an app, stream videos to dance to or to do cardio workouts to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

5. Get the appropriate amount of sleep<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe way our body metabolizes and the way we grow all has to do with our sleep,\u201d Dr. Christison said. \u201cChildren with good, uninterrupted sleep tend to be more healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some guidelines, she suggested, include turning screens off one hour before bedtime, lights off and school-age children should get nine hours of sleep.<\/p>\n

6. Seek out community or after-school opportunities<\/h2>\n

For parents unsure how to get kids started on being more active, Dr. Christison recommends looking to see what after-school programs may be offered or what partnerships your community has available.<\/p>\n

For example, the Healthy Kids U<\/a> program developed by OSF Children\u2019s Hospital and the University of Illinois College of Medicine<\/a> is being offered at YMCA locations in Peoria and Streator. The program\u2019s aim is to work with kids and their families to develop healthy eating habits and to promote activity.<\/p>\n

Dr. Christison reminds parents who are concerned about their child\u2019s weight to have a consultation with their primary care provider<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to remind parents that making lifestyles changes for a healthier weight and body is a marathon, not a sprint,\u201d she said. \u201cStart small with something you think you can do as a family and then build on what you have achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Worried about your kid’s diet? Talk to a primary care provider Are you concerned about your child\u2019s habits when it comes to eating and being physically active? Are you worried they may be overweight? If so, there are steps you can take as a parent to help get your kids on the right track to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":5406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,116],"tags":[47,907,142],"coauthors":[688],"class_list":["post-5394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-exercise","category-pediatrics","tag-healthy-eating","tag-osf-center-for-health-streator","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois"],"yoast_head":"\nHelp your kids adopt healthier eating habits in 2019 | OSF HealthCare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The start of a new year is a perfect time to begin healthy habits for the whole family, including a solid diet and exercise plan for the kids.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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