Telling kids that sugary snacks are bad for them is a strategy that backfires. It's just like telling a child not to touch something. What's the first thing that child is going to do? You got it. Start touching. Everything. The boomerang effect is fast. And it will undermine all of your efforts. I'm reading a study published in the Journal of the Association for … [Read more...]
When Food is Love. How Valentine’s Day Impacts Eating Habits.
Valentine's Day has a more damaging effect on eating habits than Halloween. Or at least, Valentine's Day has the potential to be more damaging than Halloween. Halloween is associated with bounty, that's for sure. But other than the happy memories that children develop from dressing up, hanging out with friends, and diving headfirst into a pile of candy, Halloween isn't … [Read more...]
What’s WAZE Got to Do with Eating?
WAZE has changed my marriage. Instead of fighting with me about directions, my husband now fights with WAZE. GPS. I'm a big fan. Before Waze, we used whatever software was built into our car. It wasn't very accurate and it was blind to traffic. Not Waze. This little app helps us dodge and weave our way around the city, adapting to traffic patterns in real time. (No, this … [Read more...]
“You Can’t Wear a Bathing Suit in the Snow” and Other Lessons About Eating
You know the data. On any given day, more children eat cookies than eat carrots. If you're like most parents, you respond by working hard to get your kids to eat their veggies. You talk "up" the importance of peas. Encourage your kids to have a few more bites of broccoli. Maybe you even require carrots before cookies. But Ahhh. There's always junk food. Let me ask you: … [Read more...]
Could You Be a Snacktivist? And Help Change the Snacking Culture in America?
If we could do one thing to improve the way kids in America eat it would be this: Clean Up Snacks. When we talk about snacking, most people think about healthy snacks: fruits, vegetables, nuts. In truth, though, the more our kids snack, the worse they eat. Did you know kids get most of their snack calories from desserts and sweetened beverages? And that the largest increases … [Read more...]
The Halloween Confession of a Remorseful Candy Thief
Hands up if you've ever stolen a piece of your child's Halloween candy. I know I'm not the only one. Almost all the parents I know have helped themselves to a treat or two. On a good day. On a bad day, my one or two might turn into a small handful. Ok, a bucket. I'm not proud of this behavior. But at least I've always—OK, almost always—avoided helping myself to my daughter's … [Read more...]
Why Kids are Obsessed with Sugar. And What You Can Do About It on Halloween.
Being the Candy Police is high risk for teaching your children the wrong habits about candy. It's also one reason kids become obsessed with sugar. I understand the concern about candy. By some reports, our kids stuff 5% of their yearly candy consumption into their Halloween candy bags. Turn that statistic around, though, and it means kids consume 95% of their candy during … [Read more...]
What Dietitians Need to Know About Halloween
Halloween makes a lot of dietitians cringe. But what if Halloween could help kids learn to explore new foods? Really, I'm not joking. I'll be the first to acknowledge that Dietitians know a lot about Halloween. So forgive me for throwing something out there that I suspect most dietitians haven't really considered. This is what I think Dietitians need to know. Parents can use … [Read more...]
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