I took a couple of days off this week to write a guest post for a website that I really enjoy, kyhealthykids. It’s hosted by Casey Hinds, a Kentucky mother who describes herself as “working to create a healthier food environment and instill a love of physical activity.” For those of you who may be interested, my post is a review of some of the best ideas of Dr. Dina Rose—a sociologist who specializes in feeding children.
In it, I give an overview of Rose’s excellent advice on helping children accept new foods, portion control, developing healthy snack habits, and not using food for emotional comfort or to relieve boredom. You can read about Rose’s ideas here. For more in-depth discussion, Rose has a new book, It’s Not About the Broccoli. She’s a terrific resource.
Kelly, this is very helpful! I will read the rest of your posts on feeding kids. I am in the process of trying to improve our eating habit and avoid eating disorders. I especially like what you said about feeding them healthy snacks during the day so that when it is time for the meal, you are not so stressed to get the healthy food in them because they have been eating it all along. I would say that will be a big game changer for us. Another game changer, which I enacted just a few weeks ago is dinner time. I made 7:30 the static time for dinner with a home-cooked meal. This is hard for a working mother but I feel that it has paid off not only by putting healthier food in their bodies (as opposed to hot dogs and shnitzel) it has created more of a family bonding time, making us a more mentally healthy family. See you soon!!!
That’s great! Family dinner is an ideal time to model healthy eating for your kids, as well as to connect eating with social and familial interaction—as opposed to viewing it as something you do on the run or in the car.