| Does your child have a sonar system like mine? My | | | | How are you doing with this list, both for your children |
| son Ethan could be down the hall, sirens blaring from | | | | and yourself? You might be tempted to think, "Well, at |
| his toy fire truck. But when I reach for a snack ever so | | | | least I'm doing better than lots of moms I know." Don't |
| quietly from the pantry, he's standing right in front of | | | | compare yourself to your friend who feeds her kids |
| me in two seconds flat. "What's mommy having?" he | | | | donuts and cookies for breakfast. It doesn't matter |
| asks grinning from ear to ear. You can guess the next | | | | what other kids are eating. It only matters what your |
| sentence. "I want some." The beep of the toaster | | | | kids are eating. Are they getting the best shot at a |
| oven, the opening of the freezer, the crackling of a | | | | healthy life from the foods you are serving them? |
| bag…all of these sounds translate into, "What is | | | | Our pediatrician suggested cutting out juice completely |
| mommy having and can I have some?" When I'm | | | | and serving water, milk and whole fruits instead. Serve |
| holding an apple, I'm happy to be caught in the act of | | | | fiber filled foods like oatmeal for breakfast. Limit soda |
| snacking. But if I'm caught unwrapping a candy bar, it's | | | | to very special occasions like birthday parties or skip it |
| a totally different story. | | | | all together. |
| We can tell our kids to eat vegetables, fruits and | | | | It's been predicted that one out of two children will |
| whole grains until we're blue in the face. But ultimately, | | | | develop juvenile diabetes in the next 10 years because |
| our kids will follow what we do. It doesn't matter what | | | | of poor eating habits. That is staggering! You have to |
| you talk about. What counts is what actually goes into | | | | do everything in your power to make sure your child is |
| your mouth. So what are your eating habits? Will you | | | | not one of them. You do not want to become another |
| have a healthy child if he or she follows in your | | | | statistic. When you make the commitment to cut out |
| footsteps? If the answer is no, then it's time to make | | | | soda, sugar, bad fats, and junk food from your diet, |
| some nutritional changes. | | | | your kids will reap amazing health benefits. They will |
| According to health author and speaker Danna | | | | catch your great eating habits. The opposite is also |
| Demetre, these are the top six nutritional mistakes | | | | true. That's why it's up to you to model eating habits |
| most moms make with their children: | | | | that will dramatically reduce your kid's risk for diabetes, |
| 1. Too much juice | | | | obesity, heart disease and cancer. Now isn't that a |
| 2. Too many hydrogenated fats | | | | worthwhile reason to eat right, exercise and lose |
| 3. Too much sugar and soda | | | | weight? |
| 4. Too little fiber | | | | The next time your child catches you in the kitchen |
| 5. Too little protein | | | | and asks, "Whatcha eating mommy?" make sure it's |
| 6. Too few omega-3 fatty acids | | | | something you'd be proud to share! |