Q: How can I teach healthy eating habits to my children?

A: What a great question to ask. There are many strategies that parents can use to help children develop healthy eating and lifestyle habits. As Connie Evers, the author of “How to Teach Nutrition to Kids,” says, “As parents and educators, it is our job to create a new culture for health, one where we model good eating and fitness habits, provide healthful shared meals and set limits on foods with little nutritional value.”

The following suggestions were shared by Melinda Hemmelgarn, nutrition communications consultant and Food and Society Policy Fellow from Columbia, Mo., at the Kansas Nutrition Council Annual Conference in Topeka a couple of weeks ago. I hope they can give you some ideas, too:

¢ Be a positive role model. Children are most likely to practice what they see and learn at home. Show your children how much you enjoy nutritious foods and fun physical activities.

¢ Eat together as often as possible. Turn off the TV so you can enjoy each other’s company and conversation.

¢ Take children to the grocery store – after they’ve eaten and are well-rested. Encourage them to pick out new foods, especially from the fruit and vegetable section.

¢ As your children get older, teach them how to read and understand information on food labels. Example: Select breakfast cereals that contain no more than 8 grams (two teaspoons) of sugar per serving.

¢ Avoid buying high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. Snack cakes, chips, candy bars, cookies, fruit drinks and breakfast pastries are heavily marketed to children. However, if you don’t bring them into your home, your children will be less likely to eat them.

¢ Invite your children into the kitchen to help prepare meals.

¢ Children are more likely to eat and enjoy what they help make. Even young children can help wash lettuce or set the table.

¢ Teach children to cook. Invest in a basic cookbook and teach them a valuable life skill. Expose children to a variety of tastes and flavors. Check out cookbooks from the library with recipes from other cultures.

¢ Let children control how much food they eat. It’s a parent’s job to provide regular meals and snacks; but allow children to eat according to their appetites.

¢ Offer children small portions and allow them to take seconds if they wish. Avoid telling children to “take one more bite” or “clean your plate.”

¢ Offer healthful foods repeatedly, but don’t force children to eat. It’s normal for them to reject new foods at first.

¢ Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables.

¢ Eat breakfast every day. Skipping the morning meal leaves your children hungry, tired and looking for less healthful foods later in the day. Breakfast eaters of all ages have an easier time controlling their weight. Plus, children who eat breakfast behave and perform better in school.

¢ Discourage snacking in front of the TV.

¢ Discuss food advertising with your children.

¢ Avoid using food as a punishment or reward. Promising dessert to a child for eating their peas teaches them that vegetables are less valuable than dessert.

¢ Serve milk, water or a small amount of diluted 100 percent fruit juice with meals. Get into the habit of drinking water when thirsty.