Parents should be in Charge of Feeding Kids a Healthy Diet

I. Introduction

A. Grabber- When I was a little girl my mom would not buy chocolatey cereals, white bread, or fast food. That didn’t bother me as much as the fact that she would NEVER let me consume any type of carbonated drink.

1. Any time I would go to my friends’ houses I would drink a coke, because you know, I wasn’t allowed to at home. I and just remember this awful feeling it left in my stomach
2. I never understood why she did this, I just thought she was trying to be as mean as she could. As I grew older, I realized she was protecting me from the harmful substances that are in those foods

B. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aka CDC, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 40+ years. (CDC,2108) A lot of the factors of this are things that cannot be helped such as genetics; however, one factor that can be fixed is the child’s eating habits.

C. As I become more aware of my childhood situation, it is easier to understand that my mom did the right thing as a parent in feeding me a well-balanced diet.

II. Body

A. In the early years of life, children are constantly exposed to their parent’s behavior. They are their children’s role models in every aspect of life, including eating habits.

1. An article written by the Office of Disease Prevention (OPDP,2012) states that the parents’ message of good nutrition to their children will be more effective if they also serve as better examples of good help

a. This is basically saying that they need to practice what they preach. No child is going to want a cold turkey sandwich with celery and apple slices when their parents are eating a McDonalds burger.

b. My parents did a good job of this. As a kid we ate dinner at the table together every night and we all had the same meal.

2. In that same article, it says that parents need to instill and teach their kids proper nutrition.

a. One example on how to do this is to take kids to the grocery store and show them the nutritious foods.

b. This makes kids more independent when it comes to choosing food when they are older.

B. Something that is somewhat similar to parents being their kid’s role models for eating, is that parents greatly influence their children’s eating behaviors.

1. According to an article titled “Parental Influence on Eating Behavior” children are not only influenced by what foods are kept in the house but by how much they are allowed to eat. (Savage et al. 2008)

a. If children are given large portion sizes when they are young than they will continue to intake larger portions when they are an adult.

b. Although my parents fed me a great diet, I believe that they fed me large portion sizes because I have notice myself consuming more food than I need.

2. Parenting style is another contribution to the influence of a child’s eating patterns

a. The article “Parental influence on Eating Behavior” states that parental control and restrictive feeding practices are associated with over eating in pre-school aged children.

b. Food is also used as an incentive or a reward for younger children which consequently makes the children prefer that junk food that is given

III. Conclusion

• Because of the strong influence that parents have on their children, it is their responsibility to make sure their kids are getting a well-balanced diet.
• They need to be aware of their own eating habits to be able to teach their children proper nutrition.
• As a result of my mom’s parenting style, to this day still do not consume sugary or carbonated drinks.

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