Eat Well, for Your Children's Sake

You can tell your children how to eat well, but experts say it's better to show them.

Children learn by watching their parents. If your favorite restaurant is the All You Can Eat Buffet and your number one vegetable is the french fry, you're sending the wrong message.

Good role models have never been more important. One in five kids is seriously overweight. High cholesterol and type 2 diabetes are rising steadily among the young.

Children must learn from their parents and caregivers to value themselves, eat nutritiously, and get proper exercise and rest.

Here's some expert advice:

Dine as a family. As part of a Harvard Medical School study, researchers looked at the eating habits of thousands of 9- to 14-year-olds. They found that children who regularly ate dinner with their family consumed more fruits, vegetables and fiber and less saturated fat, trans fat, fried foods and soda.

Go for healthy foods and drinks. The Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine found that girls' drink choices mirrored their mothers' choices. Girls were more likely to choose milk over soft drinks because their mothers did so.

Switch to smaller portions. Super-sized portions can hurt children's eating habits and waistlines. It takes just 48 extra calories a day (seven potato chips) to gain five pounds a year. If possible, let children serve themselves.

Eat out with restraint. Visit restaurants just once or twice a week, and press children to get small orders of fast food if no healthier choice is available. Share a dinner portion with children and add a salad or other vegetables if children are still hungry.

Let children make decisions. A CNRC study of 5-year-old girls found that when parents tightly controlled their children's diets, the children were more likely to eat more of the foods parents were trying to limit.

Provide a variety of healthy choices. Then let children choose from that selection. This satisfies children's need for independence and gives parents some control over what their children eat.

Maintain a healthy weight. Avoid unhealthy approaches to weight loss, such as fad diets or diet pills. Emphasize the importance of being fit and healthy as opposed to being thin.

Stay active. Eating is just part of the equation. Stay physically active as a family by walking, biking or swimming. Limit kids' time in front of the television and computer.