Childrens Eating Rules for Good Health

Chef Wendell’s Ten Commandments of Healthy Eating for Parents

1.     Thou shalt not force, bribe or coerce thy child to eat.

2.     Thou shalt set a good example by eating at least five fruits and vegetables, three who grain products and three low-fat dairy servings per day.

3.     Thou shalt make mealtimes pleasant.

4.     Thou shalt encourage thy child to help in meal planning, preparation, and clean-up.

5.     Thou shalt back off when mealtime becomes a power struggle.

6.     Thou shalt accept the fact thy child is an individual and thus will dislike certain foods. (and there are many)

7.     Thou shalt accept food ‘binges’ as phases that will eventually pass.

8.     Thou shalt not give up on introducing thy child to new foods. Thou shalt realize it sometimes takes ten tries to get a child to accept a food.

9.     Thou shalt use this division of responsibility for eating: As the parent, thou art responsible for deciding when and what to serve. Thy child is responsible for deciding how much, if any, will be eaten.

10.   Thou shalt give thy child a food-based multi-vitamin / mineral supplement, not Flintstones, if he or she is a picky eater.