Vincent Iannelli, M.D. is a board certified pediatrician and the author of The Everything Father’s First Year Book. Dr. Iannelli is also the About.com Guide to Pediatrics and the medical expert for several parenting books on overweight children, childhood illnesses, autism, getting babies to sleep, and cooking for babies and toddlers. Last week I read some of his writings on unhealthy snacks children are exposed to and wanted to share it as I found a lot of practical ways to deal with this day-to-day modern challenge.
We all know that kids often need (and ask for!) some snacks they eat throughout the day in addition to their three regular meals. But in most cases, that means unhealthy food with a lot of sugar and fat in it. Not to mention that risks include cavities, especially if they are eating sticky treats like candy. In this context, the New York Times reported in January that “according to the Agriculture Department, American children get 40 % of their calories from food of poor nutritional quality“. Scary, isn’t it ?
Following are a few bad habits to get rid off based on Dr. Iannelli’s experience as a pediatrician :
1. not letting your kids eat unhealthy snacks, including high-fat snacks and high-calorie snacks, except as an occasional treat. These can include cookies, chips, candy, doughnuts, fruit drinks, soda, etc.
2. having a regular snack time for your kids — usually late morning and early afternoon for toddlers and preschoolers and just after-school for older kids. Keep in mind that most kids shouldn’t need a bedtime snack though.
3. having nutritious snacks handy and ready for your kids to eat
4. limiting snacks to just 100 to 150 calories so that they don’t turn into an extra meal
5. not allowing snacks to be too close to lunch or dinner
With 60 calories per serving, 100% fruit, no artificial flavors or preservative and a resealable pouch for kids on-the-go, GoGo squeeZ is an healthy snack option for kids you might want to try.
In addition to those guidelines, Ellyn Satter, a dietitian and family therapist, has an interesting approach in terms of what’s your responsibility as a parent. “The parents’ job is to do the what, when and where of feeding,” she said, “and it is up to the children to do the how much and whether of eating. In order to have successful family meals, you have to structure the snacks.”
You can find more info and tips from Vincent Iannelli, M.D. on how to help kids learn to do well with eating at keepkidshealthy.com and from Ellyn Satter at EllynSatter.com.