Smart Sizing Your Kids' Meals - Big Y® World Class Market®

When it comes to the old saying, “You are what you eat,” it’s no surprise that kids today are increasingly overweight. Along with high-calorie foods and lack of exercise, the oversized portions commonly available today play a major role in children growing up over-weight or even obese. Just as you wouldn’t give your child clothes or a bicycle that are sized for an adult, you shouldn’t offer meal portions that are appropriate for an adult two to three times their size. That’s why parents need to educate themselves and their children on how to recognize and plan kid-sized meals.

Many of us grew up being prompted to “finish everything on your plate” or “join the clean plate club.” In this super-sized world, however, finishing an entire meal is often against a child’s best interests, unless the parent has made sure beforehand that the portions on his plate are appropriate for his age. Even at home and away from the “super-size that” pressure of fast-food restaurants, many parents assume that their children will simply stop eating when they’re full, and don’t pay enough attention to portion control.

Unfortunately, it can take up to 20 minutes after eating before the brain gets the message that the stomach is full, and that it’s okay not to feel hungry anymore. That’s 20 minutes during which a child will often continue to eat, long after the healthiest point to stop. If there’s more on their plate than there needs to be, they’ll keep eating.

Kids will often eat more than they need to for any number of reasons and won’t stop just because they’re not hungry anymore. They may just like the taste, they may want to act grown-up by eating as much as the adults at the table, or they may just assume that sitting at the table means they should be eating, regardless of hunger. That’s why portion control by parents and teaching kids about portion control away from home is so important.

Controlling Snack Time

Portion control isn’t just a good idea at mealtime it’s also critical at snack time. The best snacks are healthy, low calorie and low fat foods such as fruits and vegetables. Low fat yogurt, applesauce and carrot sticks are all great snacks that kids can enjoy.

Most people were taught that snacks ruin meals. The opposite is actually true. A healthy snack that takes the edge off hunger actually reduces the chance that a child will overeat at the next meal past the healthy stopping point before the stomach can tell the brain that it’s full.

Of course, it’s hard to convince kids that their snack time should involve carrot sticks when mom or dad’s snacks are not very nutritious. A family pantry full of unhealthy snacks will send the wrong message to kids, so make healthy snacking something for the entire family.

Understanding Healthy Portions

As kids get older and bigger, the amount of food and the mix of nutrients that they need changes. The 2 dice-sized serving of cheese that’s appropriate for a toddler isn’t enough for a preteen; the preteen’s cupcake-sized serving of pasta would be far too much for a preschooler; and an adult-sized double cheeseburger is inappropriate for any child (and for many adults, as well). See our “Tips for You” sidebar for easy-to-understand examples of appropriate serving sizes for children of different ages.

While large bags, boxes and containers of food are extremely convenient, it’s easy to forget that they contain multiple servings — and that those servings are sized for healthy adults. Make sure to pay attention to the serving size suggestions on food containers and adjust those sizes appropriately for younger eaters.

Taking a Lifetime

Smart eating isn’t something that kids — or even adults — learn overnight. It’s the result of years of good examples and taking advantage of every opportunity to substitute the smart choice for the easy, unhealthy choice. With some work and good examples from their parents, kids will grow up into happy and healthy adult eaters.

Tips to teach your kids

• Don’t serve him seconds right away, even when he asks for it. Train your child to give his body 20 minutes before going for a second helping so that he knows whether he’s really hungry or whether the brain just hasn’t caught up to the stomach yet.

• Teach him about food. Understanding what’s healthy and what isn’t healthy can help a child understand why his
meal looks like it does and can build good habits for a lifetime.

• Pre-measure snacks. To avoid overeating at snack time, have your child get in the habit of filling a bowl or plate with an appropriate amount of food rather than eating directly out of the bag or box.

• Leftovers are okay. Just because the meal’s really tasty doesn’t mean your child has to eat the whole thing right away.A good pizza from the Big Y Pizza Shop makes for a fun lunch or snack the next day, so store any leftovers once your child has eaten a healthy amount.

Tips for You

Use these everyday items to help you determine what a healthy serving size is for kids of different ages:

This chart should be used as a guide only. For more information visit www.mypyramid.gov.

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