Eat your veggies if you want your kids to eat theirs: study
If you want your kids to eat their vegetables, best lower your voice, put the wagging finger away, and tuck into a salad yourself.
Because after observing different parenting styles of low-income families, researchers found that providing a positive food environment and adopting personal healthy eating habits was more effective than barking out orders or the use of force, rewards or punishments.
The study, which appeared in the May edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that parents who persuaded rather than ordered their kids to eat their vegetables had kids with healthier habits.
Similarly, stocking the kitchen with healthy snacks, maintaining regular meal times and taking kids to the grocery store to become engaged with their food are also recommended.
The latest study supports previous research which found that a mother's own eating habits have a big impact on whether her child consumes enough fruits and vegetables. A study published in 2010 found that a toddler's consumption of fruits and vegetables was proportional to the mother's intake of the same food groups.
GIVEAWAY: "Brushing and Flossing" WIN a $25 gift card!!
- gacgbaker
on Jul. 2, 2012 at 8:30 AM