Ask a Dietitian

ENGAGING THE FAMILY IN YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE GOALS

Making healthy eating and regular activity something that is part of your family’s routine and lifestyle is key to raising healthy children. Getting regular is a process and requires commitment, so here are some tips to help you get started.

Exercise Tips:

• Small steps. As with anything, small steps increase the likelihood of remaining consistent to the habit as opposed to the yoyo effect experienced when people become overwhelmed. Incorporating after dinner walks is a more appropriate segue to building reasonable interest as opposed to signing up for a marathon out of the gates.

• Select activities the whole family can enjoy. Gathering feedback on things everyone likes increases the chance of everyone being involved. Create a list of the top five “favorites” and the “always wanted to try”. When everyone feels their contributions have been considered, there will be less complaining about the challenge of something new.

• Be the example. So many times our words contradict our actions ending in a do as I say and not as I do scenario. This decreases the credibility of the initiative and will become a barrier to participation. Because actions speak louder than words, we can often initiate participation by simply being the example and before you know it, others will want to join in.

• Live guilt free. So often people, in particular moms, feel guilty about making time for them to exercise at the expense of what they ‘should be doing’. Be it known that without a happy you, there is no happy anyone else. We see it all the time where people are trying to be everything to everybody and end up becoming nothing to nobody. A healthy example begins with you and is passed on through your consistency with the program.

Nutrition Tips:

• Baby steps: Don’t throw out all your junk or suddenly stop buying cookies, cakes, sugar cereal, ice cream, pies, candy, chips and French fries. Gradually use up what you have eating it less and less often. If you normally would offer cookies and candy for after school snacks, try having cookies and fruit one day and then muffins and fruit the next. Try fruit smoothies with ice cream one day and fruit smoothies with yogurt the next. Replace the less nutritious snacks with other options such as air popped popcorn, whole grain crackers and cheese, baked tortilla chips with melted cheese, salsa and guacamole, toasted bagels with peanut butter etc.

• Set the family up for success: Healthy eating by all family members requires some advance planning and preparation. It is our role as parents to provide healthy food choices at regular meal and snack times. It is up to our children to decide how much or if they will eat.

• Involve the family: Have everyone participate in menu planning and dinner preparation. Each person can choose one meal they would like to eat and then you can help them make it. At first this will be more time consuming but eventually they will have one or two meals they know how to cook for the family all by themselves. Be sure there is a protein source, a carbohydrate, fruit or vegetable or both and milk.

• Eat together: There is nothing more powerful than the family meal. Let children pick and choose from what is on the table. Don’t force children to eat. Don’ t short order cook. Offer familiar with unfamiliar foods so that there is something there for everyone. This shouldn’t be the time when you discuss the failing grade they got on their test or the party they are not allowed to go to. Don’t nit pick too much. Set good examples for proper eating behaviour at the table.

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!