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Bare Essentials of Obesity Prevention
August 26, 2008
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
-Nelson Mandela
-Nelson Mandela
In his article, "Michelangelo and the Prevention of Childhood Obesity", in the May 2008 issue of Exchange, Martin Maimon outlines "bare essentials of obesity prevention in child care":
- Build in at least one hour of planned physical activity on a daily basis — with structured (15-20 minute sessions) and unstructured activities.
- French fries don’t count as a vegetable. Teach kids, and the adults in their lives, about different food groups, and provide fruit and vegetable choices.
- Cultivate a relationship with a health care professional that can be an advisor on health-related issues and content for your program (local pediatrician, family doctor, nurse health consultant, nutritionist, health educator).
- Develop and refine a health policy that calls attention to the fact that health is critical to successful early learning. Among other important topics, it should highlight your chosen strategy for modeling healthy behaviors (e.g., physical activity and nutrition).
- Portion size — remember as we grow our stomach is roughly the size of our fist. This gives a rough guide of how much food it takes to fill our stomach. Eating too much is not good for our body. Consider family-style meal service where children serve themselves and determine their own portion size.
In her new Exchange book, The Top Ten Preschool Parenting Problems and What to Do about Them!, parenting expert Roslyn Duffy offers parents practical advice for dealing with these common challenges (and more!)...
- Whining
- Not Listening
- Meltdowns
- Negotiation and Manipulation
- Morning Hassles, Mealtime Mischief, Bedtime Blues
- Sibling Fights
- Clean-Up and Chores
- Bathroom Battles
- Hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, biting...
- Bad Language
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Comments (4)
Displaying All 4 CommentsAurora, ON, Canada
Great topic. I have had success with growing a garden and the children eating their bounty with pride and gusto - including peas. The part about structured physical activity is a little worrying though. As long as it's just running around playing Hide and Go Seek or something okay. We can't suck the fun out of being outside by turning it into an adult-style gym workout.
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, United States
One of the most effective ways to get children interested in healthy eating and to promote activity is to get them involved in a garden! Digging, raking, planting, and weeding not only teach skills of responsibility and science exploration but also helps the kids get excited about the end product - EATING!
Scottsdale Community
United States
Family style service is NOT allowed in some jurisdictions....sadly! How about someone doing a Vegetable a week program for both center and homes! In one center I worked in we actually got the kids loving beets at lunch after a week of enthusiastic focus on them. Parents are often surprised at what their children will eat among peers, then refuse at home. Recipes could be shared and parents allowed to sample ways to serve an item! Carrots for instance have way more possibilities than raw sticks!!
Florissant, MO, United States
Right on! So thankful for the attention given in such a positive and workable way to this topic! Our country needs a drastic wake-up call to our eating habits!
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