[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/01\/tips-teaching-kids-eat-healthy\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/01\/tips-teaching-kids-eat-healthy\/","headline":"4 Tips for Teaching Kids to Eat Healthy","name":"4 Tips for Teaching Kids to Eat Healthy","description":"Following the holidays, many families find their homes full of leftovers, including cookies, candies, and other sweets. What about the calories and all that sugar? Can this be healthy for your kids? Ann Meyers, RD, LDN, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, says you can teach your children to stay on the path of healthy eating, […]","datePublished":"2014-01-10","dateModified":"2022-05-05","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","name":"Pediatrics","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/pediatrics\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/girl-with-cupcakes.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/girl-with-cupcakes.png","height":527,"width":791},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/01\/tips-teaching-kids-eat-healthy\/","about":["Nutrition","Pediatrics"],"wordCount":364,"keywords":["Ann Meyers RD LDN","calories","children","Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC","ice skating","kids","moderation","physical activity","skiing","sled riding","unhealthy food","winter activity"],"articleBody":"Following the holidays, many families find their homes full of leftovers, including cookies, candies, and other sweets. What about the calories and all that sugar? Can this be healthy for your kids?Ann Meyers, RD, LDN, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, says you can teach your children to stay on the path of healthy eating, without depriving them of sweet treats, by setting positive examples.Ann shares a few key ways parents can demonstrate these healthy practices.Get ActiveTry scheduling some physical activities for the entire family. Or take the kids for walks \u2014 it\u2019s a great way to spend some peaceful time with your family. Enjoy a winter activity that your kids like to do, such as skiing, sled riding, or ice skating.Don\u2019t Emphasize MealsWhile every holiday has some special foods, it also has other traditions that mark the day. The important thing to kids is recognition of the day within their own family. Traditions are what your children will remember years from now, not how many pieces of candy or how many cookies they ate.Don\u2019t Demonize \u201cUnhealthy\u201d FoodsControl what you bring into your home, because once you have treats in the house, you\u2019ve already given your children the message that these foods are OK to eat. Telling them that they are unhealthy only confuses children, and often increases their desire to overeat.Set LimitsDefining when and how much your kids can eat lets them know that special foods can be enjoyed occasionally, like the holidays themselves. Your kids will be happy to know that these foods will appear from time to time in your house, just like all the other foods you buy and prepare.Ann stresses that it is important to remember cutting out certain \u201cbad\u201d foods is not the answer. Parents should highlight a balanced intake that does not exclude any particular food group.\u201cUndue attention on good foods versus bad foods just sets up our kids for failure, because all foods, in moderation, are good for you,\u201d she says. \u201cBanning treats or making them so \u2018healthy\u2019 that they lose their flavor just places undue emphasis on the foods themselves.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2014","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"4 Tips for Teaching Kids to Eat Healthy","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/01\/tips-teaching-kids-eat-healthy\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]