A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, states that fathers are more likely to contribute to their children’s obesity because they are more lenient when it comes to letting the kids eat at fast food restaurants.
To the researchers surprise during the 15 month study, dads spent more time at fast food restaurants with the kids than the moms did.
Obviously both dads and moms have tremendous impact upon what their children eat, and studies show that in the vast majority of cases, children’s eating habits, whether “good” or “bad” are most influenced by ones parents.
If you think that you as a parent my fall into this group, the easiest place to start to improve is in the supermarket. If you make better purchases there of healthy food choices, your kids have less temptation and fewer options to eat poorly (at least while they are in the house).
Get a picture from the internet of what 5 lbs. of fat actually looks like and show it to your kids. Get a picture of an artery that has closed due to poor eating choices, and show that to your kids. You’d be surprised how many children retain these images and slowly but surely start to make better eating choices.
But the best place to start is right at home.
Curt Hendrix
