Healthy habits win dinner battles

IF you have ever been in a household with young children, you may have seen the battlefield.

Food flung missile-like lays strewn all over the floor, a defiant little soldier refuses to give in, while on the other side, the parents, sag in exhaustion.

But teaching children to eat, and eat well, need not be a battle, according to dietitians.

Food and Nutrition Australia dietitian Sharon Natoli said mealtime madness could be avoided if parents established healthy eating habits in their children early in life.

She suggested parents make and eat healthy meals with their children as one way of encouraging them to make healthy choices from a young age.

Her sentiments are echoed by Sunshine Coast dietitian Julie Norton, who is completing PhD studies in how parents influence their children’s eating habits.

Ms Norton said the best thing parents could do to get young children to eat, and eat healthily, was to lead by example.

“It’s not what we say as parents, it’s what we do. If you’re trying to get a child to eat breakfast, and you’re not eating breakfast yourself, you’ve got Buckley’s,” she said.

“But if you can sit down and eat the same food as the child, the child is more likely to eat it.

“A lot of parents say they haven’t got the time for themselves because they are so busy running around with their kids.

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Healthy living secret of the century: Eat less

A big barrier to better health (and based on current obesity statistics 66 percent of us have it) is we are carrying too much weight. The effects of that extra weight reverberate throughout our body. Fat is not some dormant blob of goo just hanging out. It is participatory hormonally (with all its domino effects), impacts the health of our joints, can restrict range of motion, and can contribute to depression (body image, neurochemicals, etc.). That fat doesn't just keep you out of your skinny jeans. It deteriorates your health and quality of your life.

Losing excess weight should be at the top of our health lists, not weird fitness-gadgets or insane workout regimens. The best way to do it is to, yes, eat less. Do not fear starvation mode. Do not fear wrong food this or right food that. Don't complicate it by overanalyzing six small meals or three big ones. Just eat less. We can have a lengthier discussion another time on how much less, but for now just strive for less than your current intake. Less!

Make dinner and eat half of it. Order a muffin, pull part of it off and chunk the rest. Latte? Pour some out. Get a handful of chips and put the bag back. Candy bar? Split if with a friend. That's it. Less!

No time to get healthy? I'm saving you time. You will spend less time chewing.

No money to get healthy? I'm saving you money. You will spend less money on food.

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