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Your Child: The Newest Expert on Nutrition
Teaching Healthy Food Choices (Without Really Trying)
By T. Susan Chang
Challenge the Advertising
Noah watches videos sometimes but not television. It's hard to compete with branded snack foods that are promoted with extreme marketing savvy by beloved cartoon characters. Of course, for many of us it's not practical to remove television from our lives. In that case, it's a great opportunity to talk about the ads and why you agree or don't agree with what they say. If kids learn to think independently about what they watch, rather than being a literally captive audience, they'll be better able to make decisions that stretch far beyond the world of food.
Outside Play Time
We've noticed that Noah's appetite increases sharply after he's been running around outdoors, so we made a point of choosing a daycare that encourages lots of outdoor activity. We try to make time to play outside with him on the weekends. Amazingly, he always eats a full meal after playing outside. Visit Local Farm Stands and Farmer's Markets
One of Noah's favorite things to do in the fall is to go to "Mr. Clark's." Mr. Clark runs a lovely old apple orchard about 20 minutes away from our home. We get to choose from dozens of apple varieties, take home fresh cider and look at the giant, barn-sized apple the Clarks put up some 10 years ago for a film crew. Wilkins says it's invaluable for kids "to experience a working farm, meet a farmer, gain awareness about diversity in apples and learn more about their natural environment."