Children's Health Children's Nutrition and Fitness

Involving Your Kids in Their Nutrition

Summary & Participants

Find out how to get your kids to care about nutrition, even when they are at school.

Medically Reviewed On: August 06, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Getting kids to eat healthy is a major concern these days.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: We have such an obesity epidemic in this country. Seventeen percent of our children are overweight or obese.

ANNOUNCER: According to the Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of school age children who are overweight has tripled in the last 3 decades, rising to over 15 percent in recent years. So how do you get your kids to care about nutrition, especially when they’re at school?

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: Talk about lunch the night before, ask them what they’d like to have. I think it’s such a great idea to take kids with you to the supermarket, help them pick out things. You know, tomorrow’s going to be red day - what would you like to have for lunch that’s red? You know, strawberries, apple, a red pepper? And I think that if you get them involved in meal preparation, they actually may enjoy it more.

ANNOUNCER: And don’t just let the lunch you pack speak for itself

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: Sometimes even a note can encourage them to eat better. For example, if you put a yogurt in your lunch, you might say, your bones will thank you for this yogurt. And you’d be surprised at how it really makes them feel like, it might make me run a little faster and jump a little higher, and hopefully it’ll encourage them to eat a little better.

ANNOUNCER: It’s important for kids to feel involved in their own food choices.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: Let them help you put food away and see where it even goes in your home so that they know where it is. Let them make a meal with you, because when they get more involved, especially if you let them make their lunches, it’s really very rewarding when they have their lunch and they know that they were the ones who helped to put that together.

ANNOUNCER: And make sure your children are happy with the lunch they take.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: If they open up that bag and they’re really disappointed, it not only affects their attitude towards food, it may make them trade for something that was less healthy.

ANNOUNCER: Above all, be open and honest about good nutrition.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.: I think kids deserve an explanation about why they should even be eating this food, as opposed to, this food is something my mom wants me to eat.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!