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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081124/AQM005)
Start new, healthier traditions
"Traditions guide a lot of what we eat and serve, and unfortunately, manyof those traditions focus on high-fat, high-calorie foods," said Robinson."Most of these traditions are driven by advertising and marketing, which is anattempt to make certain foods more prevalent during the holidays." Robinson,who has led first-of-its-type research reflecting the impact of branding onchildren's eating preferences, added that "Families can fight back by startingnew, healthier traditions, and these traditions can stay with your family formany years."
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Making fruit fun
"Instead of making sweet, high-calorie holiday desserts," said Robinson,"parents can think about planning a meal using fresh fruit as a dessert."Robinson said there are lots of ways to make fruit more fun for the kids."There are plenty of different types of fruit around this time of year, fromAsian pears to star fruit. You can even cut them into unusual shapes. They'relow-calorie, fun to eat and kids love the taste."
Healthy snacking around the house
Again, Dr. Robinson stresses alternatives. "When it's time to snack,instead of having all those leftovers and sweets around, replace them withfoods like pomegranates, which can be a cool surprise for kids." Robinson alsosuggests an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach. "Often, candies and sweets areonly eaten because they're just sitting there, right out in the open."
Working calories off during bad weather
"We sometimes hesitate before letting kids outside when the weather iscold and wet," said Robinson, who offers advice that may be surprising to someparents. "But families need to know that kids don't get colds from being inthe cold. They get colds from viruses. Sending kids out to play in the cold,or even a little bit of rain, will not get them sick."
How to limit screen time
Make a budget. "Our team suggests a budget of seven hours a week totalscreen time, which includes TV, DVDs, videogames and computers," saidRobinson, who's led multiple research efforts into the relationship betweenscreen time and children's eating habits, weight gain and effects oneducation. "This means an hour a day, which is easy for kids to understand.And it allows kids to discover alternatives on their own, which is moremotivating than being directed to do so by their parents."
(DISCLAIMER: Dr. Robinson admits that he finds Cherry Garcia tough toresist.)Links: See the academic profile of Thomas Robinson, MD, MPH, here (http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Thomas_Robinson). Read about our Center for Healthy Weight http://www.Healthyweight.lpch.org Robinson's research: http://www.lpch.org/aboutus/news/releases/2007/fastFoodMarketing.html http://www.lpch.org/aboutus/news/releases/2006/screenTime.html http://www.lpch.org/aboutus/news/releases/2005/tv.html Contact: Robert Dicks 650-497-8364 [email protected] Todd Kleinheinz 650-725-9666 [email protected]
SOURCE Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
