Trisha Hardy, M.P.H., R.D. Director, Child Wellness Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Photo contributed by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Strong4Life suggests four healthy habits:
1. Make half your plate veggies and fruits.
2. Be active for 60 minutes.
3. Drink more water and limit sugary drinks.
4. Limit screen time to one hour.
For more information, www.strong4life.com.
Graphic courtesy of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
By Michelle C. Brooks
Article originally appeared September 25, 2014 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If you want your kids to be excited about veggies, reach for a rainbow of nutritious colors. “Make sure you’re eating all the colors, that can be a fun thing for kids,” says Trisha Hardy, M.P.H., R.D. director, child wellness at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “This week we’re going to try purple vegetables. Next week is yellow vegetables - that can make it fun and more exciting for the kids.”
September is childhood obesity month. “There are nearly a million kids in Georgia who are at risk for health issues due to excessive weight,” says Hardy. “Which is why Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launched Strong4Life (www.strong4Life.com). We don’t believe in diets, we focus on our healthy habits.”
Q: What’s the best way to get children involved in healthy eating?
A: “Make it a game: ‘we’re going to try two new vegetables this week, what will [they] be?’” says Hardy. “Involve the child in preparing and planning the meals or picking out the produce in the grocery store.” In her home, “even my two-year-old is on a stool next to me when I’m cooking.”
Q: What are parents to do when driving home with starving children and flashing fast-food signs along the way?
A: Hardy recommends having car snacks such as trail mix on hand or packing Greek yogurt or cheese sticks. When fast-food is inevitable, balance the wrapper with fruits and vegetables. “All foods can fit into a diet. We’re not saying that children can never have hamburgers and French fries, those foods that they love, but instead of having a hamburger and French fries, have a hamburger with side of fruit.”
Q: What about drinks? Are sports drinks necessary?
A: “For most kids that are not involved in really competitive sports, water is all they need, a lot of times they are not burning or using the electrolytes that these sport drinks are designed to replace.” says Hardy who gives exceptions to really hot days or super-active kids. "We want to promote water and low-fat milk." She says to make water more exciting, give a child a really fun water bottle and add fruit. "Put in some pieces of lemon and raspberries, the kids shake it up and it gets the fruit out and they love it."
Q: How can parents help children eat healthy for life?
A: “Don’t call foods good or bad,” says Hardy. “All foods can fit into a diet, what we can do as parents is to provide the choices.” When parents provide healthy choices and role-model healthy eating, children can choose. “If you put all the choices on the table [such as] chicken, vegetables and whole-grains and say choose what you like, you’re letting your child self-regulate.”
For more information, including a meal-planner, recipes and nutrition myths, go to www.strong4life.com.