Helping Children Develop a Healthy Lifestyle

10 Tips from St. Louis Children's Hospital

1. Focus on one positive change together. Trying to make too many changes at once sets you and your child up for failure.

2. Keep healthy food in the house. It is difficult to eat properly if the right foods are not readily available. Keep the junk food out of the house. Buy skim milk instead of whole milk and pretzels instead of chips.

3. Eat without distractions. Turn off the television during mealtime. Enjoy meals together without homework or reading materials. Look at healthy eating as a way to take care of your body and mind.

4. Allow your child to make food choices. By enforcing rigid guidelines, a parent alters a child's internal sense of hunger and satiety. By providing options, a child learns to make positive choices consistently.

5. Be aware of calories in beverages. An 8-ounce glass of apple juice is made from three apples. Few people could eat three apples at a sitting, but a thirsty child could drink two or three glasses of apple juice and still eat a full meal.

Want to see more?

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• Food Fight: 5 Common Nutritional Mistakes Parents Make
• Talk about it!