What's a Mom to Do?

This article can be found at The American Dietic Association at www.eatright.org. You can read the entire Nutrition Fact Sheets,or even print it out, along with many other helpful nutrition facts and healthy eating tips


Most moms agree that feeding their family well is very important. According to a
new survey commissioned by Wendy’s®, 80% of moms would like to get their kids
to eat healthier—but many obstacles get in their way. Families juggle busy
schedules that make it difficult to eat together and don’t leave enough time to
shop or cook. Nearly 40% of moms surveyed feel that healthy foods don’t always
taste good. For others, the challenge is a family that doesn’t want to eat healthy
foods or is on a limited food budget.


Busy moms—especially young moms—are also
frustrated by the flood of changing nutrition
advice, especially as they try to make sensible
dietary decisions for their families. Moms have a
wealth of concerns when it comes to their
children’s eating habits. The top concern, shared
by more than four-in-10 moms, is that kids are not
eating enough fruits and vegetables. Picky eaters
and eating too much junk food round out the top
three overall concerns of moms.

What’s a mom to do? Start with these easy,
practical tips:

• Make mealtime family time. Try to have at
least one meal a day together. Eating meals as
a family can actually improve your children’s
food habits since kids tend to eat more fruits,
vegetables and dairy foods at meals shared
with their parents.


• Get the family involved in meal planning
and preparation. Your kitchen can be a
learning laboratory. Give kids simple tasks to
help with family food shopping, preparation
and cleanup. Children are more likely to eat
foods that they have helped to prepare.


• Be a good role model. Moms and dads often
tell their kids to eat healthy but don’t follow
the advice for themselves. Make sure you set
a good example for your family. Healthy
eating is a lifestyle—not a fad. It needs to be
a family affair that begins at an early age.


• Try something new. Set a goal to include
one new food or recipe each week. You’ll
soon discover new favorites to incorporate
into family menus. When you want your
children to eat more fruits and vegetables, try
a new or exotic variety like mangoes or
tangelos. To make fruit easier to eat, serve it
in bite-sized pieces with some yogurt for
delicious dipping!