News — , the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. This astronomical rise has led many advocates to focus their energies on improving nutritional conditions in schools, including reforming cafeteria lunches and eliminating junk food in vending machines. While the debate is being staged at the national level, with Michelle Obama鈥檚 鈥淟et鈥檚 Move鈥� initiative focusing a spotlight on the issue, there are steps that parents can take to maintain or improve their child鈥檚 diet and nutrition while at school.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great that there are efforts at revising the standards required by schools at the national level, but parents shouldn鈥檛 underestimate the influence they can have on their child鈥檚 eating habits, even while they鈥檙e at school,鈥� said , associate clinical professor of pediatrics and director of the nutrition clinic at the at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
A registered dietitian who advises children and their families, Dr. Ayoob offers seven practical tips that can help parents encourage their kids to eat well during and after school. Dr. Ayoob is available for interviews upon request.
1. Review School Lunch Menus鈥淪tep one is to find out what your child鈥檚 school is offering for lunch. Some schools make their menus available ahead of time to students and their parents. Some even post their menus online. Encourage your school to sign up to one of these online portals. Some are free for schools to join and provide nutritional information on meals.鈥�
2. Send Lunch Replacements or Supplements鈥淓ven if you can鈥檛 find out in advance what is being served for lunch, provide healthy foods you know your kids will eat so they can have something satisfying, even when the school lunch is disappointing. Durable foods that will hold up well in a backpack include apples, string cheese or trail mix.鈥�
3. Find Out When Your Child Eats Lunch鈥淕iven the overcrowding in some schools, some children eat 鈥榣unch鈥� as early as 10:30 in the morning. Find out when your child is eating and plan accordingly. If they eat early in the day, be sure to provide healthy snacks for the afternoon so they don鈥檛 use the vending machines or pick up junk food to eat on their way home from school.鈥�
4. Involve Your Kids in Making Lunch鈥淧ick one day a week that you prepare lunch at home for your kids to take to school 鈥� and involve your children in the preparation. Studies show that kids are more likely to eat the foods they help to prepare. It also helps to create a sense of responsibility and develop a positive working relationship with food 鈥� something they should start developing early to create good eating habits in the future. For younger kids, be sure to make the packaging fun, too 鈥� let them pick out a lunch box they like, or put their fruit in colorful containers.鈥�
5. Provide a Good Breakfast鈥淓veryone knows that eating a good breakfast is important, but it bears repeating. Make sure kids start the day with a quality meal. While standard breakfast fare 鈥� whole grain cereals, milk and fruit 鈥� provide a good start, try to include some extra protein as well 鈥� a hard-boiled egg, yogurt or cheese. Carbohydrates are a great way to jump-start your kid鈥檚 day, but protein helps sustain their energy level well into the afternoon.鈥�
6. Restrict Their Funds鈥淭his may not occur to many parents, but kids with money to burn in their pockets often spend it on junk food. Restricting the amount of cash they take to school allows you to limit the amount of 鈥渨alking around鈥� money they鈥檒l spend on junk food during or after school.鈥�
7. Set a Good Example at Home 鈥� But Pick Your Battles 鈥淭he best way to encourage your kids to establish good eating habits is to "walk the talk". It鈥檚 important to offer rounded meals and keep healthy snacks in the house 鈥� and to eat them yourself.鈥�
鈥淭hat being said, kids are going to want foods that you don鈥檛 think are best for them and making some compromises is perfectly acceptable. For little kids, if they eat chicken nuggets instead of a baked, skinless chicken breast, balance it by having fresh fruit and milk with the meal. If your teenage daughter will drink low-fat chocolate milk, acknowledge that it鈥檚 a way for her to get the calcium, protein and vitamins she needs 鈥� benefits she won鈥檛 get from drinking a soda or sports drink.鈥�
Dr. Ayoob points out that many of these tips revolve around a theme: communicating with your child about food. It鈥檚 not about controlling your child鈥檚 diet so much as helping to foster a healthy relationship with food.
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