A new nutrition study found that children as young as 12 months are consuming one third of their daily calories between meals. This constant snacking develops unhealthy eating habits.

The Nestlé Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study began in 2002. The study examined the evolution of children’s diets from birth through to preschool, including sources of calories, key nutrients and snacking patterns.

The survey was expanded in 2008 to find out whether the eating habits of young children in America had changed since 2002.

More than 3,200 children are included in the survey. This study is the largest, most-comprehensive study of the diets and eating habits of infants, toddlers and preschoolers in the United States.

Tristan wants a snack, but his mom said “Not now it’s too close to dinner.”

Researchers found toddlers from the age of 12 months and older consumed one-third of their daily calories from snacking between meals. That is shocking when you consider that 10 percent of young children between 2 and 5 years old are categorized as obese.

“We’re seeing poor eating habits starting early in life, and they mirror those of older children and adults,” said Dr Kathleen Reidy, Global Head of Nutrition Science, Baby Food, at Nestlé Nutrition. “It’s important to establish the foundation for healthy diets early in life when eating habits and preferences are being formed.”

Your children eat what you purchase and eat yourself. Children are snacking all day, because their parents are doing the same thing. If you want your kids to have good eating habits, you need to model them yourself. Simple dietary changes can make huge improvements in the quality of kids’ diets.

Three Simple Steps to Improve Your Child’s Diet
1. Limit snacking.
2. Time snacking to 1½ to 2 hours before a meal.
3. Snacks should be mini-meals. Offer healthy options such as fruits, vegetables, yogurt and whole grain foods.

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1. Take Just One Bite
The one-bite rule (one bite is required of every food) is ineffective. Studies show children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward. The one bite rule translates to a child that ”some food is so YUCKY only one bite is required.” The issue is compounded when parents offer a reward, such as watching a video or offering a sweet dessert, for tasting a refused food. Bribing kids to eat certain foods teaches children that holding out will prove to be beneficial. Food should never be offered as a reward for behavior.

Aaron takes one bite.
Aaron’s mom is a professional photographer.
You can see her work at Mary Beth Graff Photography: http://www.mbgpics.com/

2. Sending Kids Out of the Kitchen
You’re busy and kids need supervision in the kitchen. They can and get in the way of getting the meal on the table in time. Although, when children are involved with food preparation, it’s more likely they will eat what’s been prepared. Of course, all food preparation should be parent-supervised. Kids shouldn’t get too close to hot stoves, boiling water, and knives. Meal preparation is an important first step in getting picky eaters to try new foods. The older your picky eater is, the more he should be involved in food preparation. Even a toddler can help wash fruit and veggies, peel a banana, mix ingredient, etc. You will soon find that you have a budding chef in your midst, instead of a picky eater. To read the “10 Commandments for Kitchen Safety” Click Here.

3. Permitting Snacking Before Mealtimes
Parents often sabotage their best efforts when they allow snacking before mealtimes. Snacking on junk foods or even nutritious munchies too close to mealtimes is guaranteed to dull the appetite. You’ll never convince a child to eat a refused food, if he’s had a snack thirty minutes beforehand. Snacks should be timed two hours before a meal. You are in charge of the kitchen and the kitchen should be closed before meals. If your toddler’s tiny tummy can’t wait until dinnertime, then prepare a mini-meal including veggies, not a cookies or crackers, and then don’t expect too much at dinnertime.

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We know organic cost more than conventionally grown fruit and veggies. It’s usually a good thing to compare apples to apples. For this comparison, I didn’t shop around for the best prices. I made all, but one purchase in one discount grocery store. Most grocery stores carry a line of organic products, so it wasn’t hard to do.

Now, if I was really comparing apples to apples, with each list of groceries, the total on the organic receipt would certainly be higher. Occasionally, it makes sense to compare apples to oranges. When you make the switch to whole foods, not just organic processed foods, the cost is almost identical. Organic processed foods are certainly more expensive. When you purchase whole foods, instead of processed foods, you’ll be surprised that your total food bill hasn’t changed very much! When switching organic foods, compare your total food bill, not just item to item. Processed snack foods are expensive, too. Once they are eliminated from your food bill, you’ll have more to spend on organic foods.

Obviously, organic fruits and vegetables will cost a bit more than conventionally grown. But when you compare boxed pancake mix to the cost of making your own, you’ll save big time! In the recipe section, I have added a very easy to make pancake recipe. It doens’t take any longer to prepare than making pancakes from a boxed mix.

Processed snack foods drive your food bill up! Plus, you’re filling up on fake-foods without valuable nutrients. I purchased two grocery bags full of snack foods. Each bag included the same number of items. The first bag, contained items for whole-food organic snacking . The second bag contained conventional processed snacks.

Each list has seven items. The total was almost exactly the same for each group of snack foods. I purchased the items in Spring 2008. With the cost of gas and inflation, I rounded up each item.

Organic Snacks

1) 4.00—1 quart Apple juice

2) 3.60—1 pound celery

3) 4.20—1 pound raisins

4) 1.80—1 pound carrots

5) 4.20—3 pounds apples

6) 5.30—4 pounds Valencia oranges

7) 1.00—1 pound organic popcorn (I purchased this at a whole foods store, because I couldn’t find where it was located at the grocers)

Total Cost of Whole-food Organic Snacking = $24.10

Conventional Snacks

I added three pieces of fruit to this list, thinking most people eat at least some fruit.

1) 5.70—Case of soft drinks

2) 4.20—1 pound 3 ounces Cheese chips

3) 4.20—Chocolate cream-centered cookies

4) 2.20—Fish-shaped crackers

5) 3.00—Oatmeal cookies

6) 2.50—Pretzels

7) 2.40—3 Gala apples

Total Cost of Processed Food Snacking = $24.20

The cost of eating organic is measured not only in dollars, but health.

You might be surprised, even the most resistant child can learn to love healthy foods. Kids discover that veggies are yummy when you engage all their senses. By making a few simple changes in your routine, you can teach your kids to love vegetables.

In a nutshell, fast food and junk food have replaced whole food. Before you even begin, you must stock healthful foods. It’ll be difficult to convince your picky eater to eat nutritious foods, if sugar, white flour, and altered fats are common ingredients found in your kitchen. Read labels and clean out junk foods from your kitchen! Replace processed snack items with nuts, fruit, and veggies slices.

Obviously, your kid’s snacking must be controlled. A child, who has eaten less than an hour and half before a meal, won’t eagerly eat a food predetermined to be “yucky!” And don’t expect your child will love a new food the first time it’s offered.

Do expect your kid to discover all the food’s attributes. Involve all the senses. A common misconception is that a veggie is rejected because of its taste. But according to current research, dislike of various foods most often results from the texture, smell, or even the color of what is to be eaten.

Eating vegetables is a learning process and you’re the teacher so enjoy eating them yourself! Learning involves all the senses. This is called multi-sensory learning. For the picky eater to be transformed into a healthy eater,  it’s vital that you include all the senses during mealtimes. Discuss the attributes of various foods with your child. Pick up and feel its texture. What color is it? What does it smell like? How does it feel in your mouth? Make it fun! Kids love to be a part of the process.

Involve your child with grocery shopping. Have your toddler hold an item from the produce department, while you’re shopping in the store. Discuss the value of the foods you’re purchasing. Give older children a job to do, such as reading the nutrition facts on labels. For example, look for the sugar content on the nutrition label or convert grams to teaspoons before placing items in your cart. Another idea is to have your child to pick one item from the produce department, which he has never tasted. Then get your kids involved in meal preparation.

Make mealtime a happy family time. The table should be a stress-free zone. It’s vital that both dad and mom keep the conversation around the table happy. A good way to transition from a hectic day is to begin the meal by thanking God for what He has done.

Always discuss how wonderful the food smells and tastes, especially vegetables. Take every opportunity during mealtimes to educate your child about healthful foods. Always be positive about the food served.

In every way, reinforce Try Rannosaurus’ favorite exclamation, “Green food is Yummy!” Try is one of the characters I created to incorporate multi-sensory learning for young picky eaters in my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

Negative remarks made at the table cement the idea that some food tastes yucky. All family members (including older siblings or even Daddy) may make only affirmative comments about the food. Phrases such as “I don’t like that” “It’s disgusting” and “It’s yucky” are to be forbidden.

Remember to have only nutritious snacks on hand, limit snacking to at least an hour and a half before meals, and to praise your child for eating whole foods. Be patient. Give your youngster time to learn about the food’s texture and how it smells. Food, which your child has previously refused, most likely will be sampled between ten and twenty times before acceptance. Tiny bites of formerly rejected foods are steps in the direction of healthy eating.

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