When it comes to creating healthy habits, Trish Brimhall, RDN, CD, CLE, says September is the new January.
Back-to-school is a fresh start with new goals, routines and motivations to do better this year.
Trish says this time of year can be a big reset and says there are things to keep in mind when it comes to setting up nutrition and eating-focused routines.
Keep your relationship with food in mind when making any nutrition changes. We are not going for perfect or rigid, we are going for flexible, balance, happy and healthy. Any resolution that is based on deprivation or requires perfection isn't going to last long. Keep it happy and healthy.
Eat as a family. Family dinner and family mealtime is so powerful in improving parent-child relationships, communication skills, grades, and mental health. Prioritize family mealtime – and that will require some serious exercises in flexibility, but keep working too keep eating together a priority.
Teach or learn to cook. Feeding oneself is a critical life skill and cooking is the healthiest way to do that. We teach kids all kinds of things, but often neglect the basics of planning, preparing, enjoying and then cleaning up a healthy meal. Maybe that means starting small – like having kids help set up a snack station or make their own trail mix. Maybe it means scheduling in a cooking night to your extracurricular routines. Maybe it means baking together two weekends per month. Whatever will be workable for your circumstances – cook!
Watch your mouth. Don't just clean out your fridge or your kitchen counter, clean out your mouth. Take intentional stock of how you speak about food, eating, and bodies. Children will and do listen and they take cues for their food and body relationships from what they see and hear parents and family members say. Remember that healthy isn't just what goes into our mouths, it is also the narrative that comes out of our mouths.
Trish also shared some after-school snack hacks.
Involve kids in the process from planning to shopping to preparation so they are invested in the snack options you have available. Even the healthiest of foods hold no nutrition benefit if your child is unwilling to eat it.
Try to hit a couple food groups at a snack – ideally include some kind of fruit or veggies and then pair that with a grain or protein. Simple examples are cheese and crackers, popcorn and fruit cup, piece of fresh fruit and handful of nuts or seeds, granola bar and dried fruit, veggie sticks and hummus, celery and peanut butter.
Keep fruits, nuts, seeds in more visual, accessible locations so it's easier to incorporate them into the snack routine. We often get cues to eat from our visual environment, so look at your kitchen/dining area and see what it is that you are advertising. What is out, what is easily accessible? Any visual cues to drink plain water, eat more produce or high fiber whole foods?
Set up a snack station – even a small box, bin or bowl that has good snack options makes it easier for kids to find a quick snack even if mom or dad isn't home.
Portion out in advance – when we are starving at snack time we don't often slow down and pay attention to reasonable food quantities. We tend to inhale food quickly then feel super full and end of just picking at dinner. The end goal of a snack is not to reach post-meal-comfortable fullness. The goal is to be satisfied, take the edge off and be hungry again in an hour or two for dinner.
You can learn more from Trish at nutritiousintent.com.
