By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Six out of 10 parents “customize” family meals for their picky kids, reveals new research.
But only one in eight moms and dads require children to eat everything on their plate, according to the study.
And less than one in three ban their child from having dessert if they don’t finish dinner.
The findings come from a survey of more than 1,000 American parents of children aged three- to 10-years-old.
Pediatrician Doctor Susan Woolford said: “Feeding young children can be difficult due to general pickiness, hesitancy to try unfamiliar foods and constantly evolving food preferences.
“The preschool and elementary age is an important time to establish healthy eating patterns.
“Yet parents’ concern about whether their child is eating enough or if they’re getting the nutrients they need may lead them to adopt practices that actually sabotage their efforts to get kids to have healthy eating habits in the short and long term.”
The University of Michigan Poll on Children’s Health also found that just a third of parents believe the standard American diet is healthy compared to half who rank the Mediterranean Diet higher in nutritional value.
But less than one in 10 have tried a Med-style diet for their child.
Mott Poll co-director Dr. Woolford said: “Parents may recognize the standard diet in the U.S. includes high amounts of saturated fats, added sugars, sodium, and refined carbohydrates, which can generate an excess intake of calories beyond nutritional needs and contribute to health problems.
“However, despite this recognition and evidence suggesting that other diet options may help avoid many illnesses, only about nine percent have tried the Mediterranean diet for their children and fewer have tried giving their children a vegetarian diet.”
Fifteen percent of parents polled say their family rule is that kids finish what’s on their plate, while more than half say children must try some of everything. Just under a third say no to dessert if meals go unfinished.
But Dr. Woolford says moms and dads who try to force kids to eat may encourage portions that go beyond feeling full.
She said: “Requiring children to eat everything on their plate, or withholding dessert unless all other foods are eaten, can lead to overconsumption, especially if portion sizes are too large for the child’s age.”
Dr. Woolford supports the recommendation that “parents provide, and the child decides.”
She said: “This makes parents responsible for providing healthy options while allowing children to select which foods they will eat and the amount they want to consume.”
The findings showed that 60 percent of parents will make something separate if their child doesn’t like the food that’s on the dinner table – often leading to a less healthy alternative.
Dr. Woolford said: “Rather than allowing the child to choose an alternate menu, parents should provide a balanced meal with at least one option that their child is typically willing to eat.
“Then if their child chooses not to eat, parents should not worry as this will not cause healthy children any harm and they will be more likely to eat the options presented at the next meal.”
She says children learn through watching and imitating, so it’s beneficial for parents to model healthy eating through a well-balanced diet while their child’s eating habits and tastes.
The biggest challenges parents face when it comes to ensuring that their kids have a healthy diet is a child being a picky eater (51 percent) and the higher cost of healthy food (32 percent).
Nearly all the parents polled report trying at least one strategy to get their youngsters to eat vegetables as part of a healthy diet, such as letting children choose the veg in shops and supermarkets.
Others involved their kids with preparing the vegetables, hiding veggies in other food or offering a reward for finishing vegetables.
Dr. Woolford said: “Unsurprisingly, parents said pickiness and getting kids to eat veggies were among major challenges during mealtimes.
“Parents should try to include children in meal decisions, avoid pressuring food consumption and provide a variety of healthy options at each meal so kids feel more control.”
When it comes to portion size, nearly 70 percent of parents polled give their child slightly less than adults.
Dr Woolford says parents should involve their children in grocery shopping trips, asking them what they may like to try.
She added: “Have them help in the process of choosing the healthiest options, not ones that necessarily directly advertise to children, but foods that they are willing to try that are lower in sugar, fat and salt.
“Spend most of the time in the produce section and try to make it fun by maybe selecting new options from different parts of the world that they haven’t tried before.”
