When you look at all of the information out there regarding children's eating habits, it's enough to make your head spin. As parents, you should do this, but don't do that. As an example to your kids, you should eat this, but don't eat that. Helping a child establish healthy eating habits begins at home, right? For years we've been hearing about studies that say if parents eat healthy, their children are more likely to mimic those behaviors. But a new analysis of previous research says that there is only a weak relationship between what parents and children eat. The analysis, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, reviewed 24 studies on parent and child dietary habits. Interestingly, they found that the association diminished over time. The newer studies found even less of a correlation between parent and child habits than the older studies did. Could this be because outside influences on our kids have gotten stronger as time goes on? The researchers found that parents' influence was not nearly as significant as the influence of advertising, peers, opportunity to eat outside of the home, etc. The authors recognize that this analysis was based on limited data. But I think it still raises some important questions. Is it enough just to eat healthy and hope your kids will follow suit? I don't think so. While I still believe that offering healthy foods at home and exposing your kids to a variety of foods is a good first step, it's important to recognize that it might not be enough. As your kids get older, they will start making their own choices when you aren't around. I want my kids to know that treats are fine in moderation, and no food should be considered "bad". But I hope I'm giving them the tools and information, so that when faced with the choice of a Big Mac versus a smaller burger with a salad, they will make the better choice most of the time. When I take my daughter to the grocery store, she'll point out Dora the Explorer (a cartoon character) on a box of cereal. I tell her Dora is on there just to get kids to buy the cereal, not necessarily because it's something Dora would eat or something she should eat. She's only 4, but I don't think it's too early to make her aware of advertising techniques like this. What do you think? Do parents influence their children's eating habits as much as other sources might? Why or why not? |
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