The childhood obesity has become one of the issues that require full attention to finding a solution. According to the Aladdin Study data , Spain is already the third European country with the highest prevalence of childhood obesity. In fact, 18.1 percent of children are obese and 23.2 percent overweight.
There are many factors that can contribute to this and during the meeting The Love Behind Food , organized by Danone in Barcelona on the occasion of its centenary, international experts insisted on the importance of improving children’s habits and educating them adequately in matters of food.
“What we think affects our actions and that, in the face of children, may influence how they relate to food the rest of their lives ,” said Jess Haines, professor at the University of Guelph, in Canada, current research is focuses on how the family can promote healthy behaviors in preschool children.
The starting point for her would be to put aside four myths that exist around infant feeding:
Myth 1: children are picky eaters at mealtime
According to Haines, 60 percent of parents say they identify in their children that tendency to be special with food at mealtime.
“ At 2 years old, children start saying no and rebel against certain foods . The problem is that parents take away those foods that they reject in the first place and they end up restricting their food and they lack nutrients, “said the teacher, who indicated that another frequent problem is that parents force them to take food authoritatively and nobody enjoys food.
“It is best to have an approach that respects the child’s autonomy. Parents have to keep offering the food and at some point the children will stop refusing before eating it. ”
Myth 2: healthy food doesn’t taste good
The problem with this statement is that holding that belief starts a negotiation: if you take this vegetable, I give you a cookie .
” What we get is for the child to overestimate the cookie and underestimate the carrot. One approach that can be helpful in encouraging consumption is positive reinforcement – how delicious these carrots are!
Another alternative that the expert gave is to let them explore the food so that they can enjoy it and continue eating.
Myth 3: family meals take a long time
More and more people consider preparing a family meal cumbersome because of the dedication and the time it takes to get everything right, and when they think about preparing one, it makes them a mountain.
“We set expectations very high and forget that if the child eats with the family, it will be better and the data shows that these children have a lower predisposition to depression, improve their academic level and in social relationships,” Haines added.
So the specialist advocated for family meals. “It generates well-being around food and a routine, it offers an opportunity to speak with the family. If we plan the meal, the food will be healthier than if we improvise or eat out. It does not have to be processed food, the benefits are obtained with simple food, “he insisted.
Myth 4: snacks are a reward
Parents’ concern revolves around the main meals of the day, but snacks and lunch between meals don’t matter as much.
“I recommend incorporating healthy foods at home and making them easy to access. Thus we will create an environment of healthy habits that promote pleasure in nutrition. We can put the fruit in a fruit bowl within everyone’s reach, the hummus in the front row of the fridge… ”.
Diet without stress
David and Joanna Parker during their speech.
The rhythm of daily life, combining a professional career with motherhood and feeding healthy , tasty food without being repetitive can be a risky sport for many parents who have to face a common enemy: the stress of not reaching weather.
That’s what happened to Joanna Parker, co-founder with her husband of Yumble, a food delivery service that prepares delicious and healthy children’s menus designed to help those parents who don’t have much time.
“We have 3 children at home. I was very concerned that they would grow up in a healthy environment and I was stressed by this issue because I didn’t have time to put that food on the table, ”Joanna explained.
This frustrating situation was the Yumble germ, which currently serves 30 states in the United States.
“We have two missions: to make life easier for parents who are stressed and worried about putting healthy food and the second mission with children, I think the sooner we establish these healthy habits in children, the longer they will stay.”
What sets Yumble apart from other stress-relieving solutions is that along with food they offer a welcome kit with strategies to help parents consume vegetables, for example, coloring books and other resources that encourage conversation with children.