The Importance of Modeling Healthy Behaviors for Kids
Shanthi Appelo, MS, RD
| 3 min read
Shanthi Appelö is a registered dietitian and health and wellness spokesperson at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Healthy foods are advertised less than 3% of the time in comparison to their junk food counterparts, and food and beverage companies spend about $2 billion per year on marketing that targets children. These ubiquitous messages make it more of a challenge for parents to model healthy behaviors for their children.
However, there are behaviors parents can model at home to help their children develop healthy eating habits and relationships with food that continue into adulthood. A 2023 systematic review showed healthy childhood eating habits help shape a child’s body image perception, relationship with food and chronic disease risk later in life.
Why parents should refrain from using exercise as punishment or food as a reward.
It can be easy to use a child’s favorite snack as a reward, but using sweets and salty snacks can send mixed messages to kids. They may relate unhealthy foods to certain moods and associate enjoyment with junk food rather than nutrient-dense ones. These rewards can also teach kids to eat when they aren’t hungry rather than listening to their own physical hunger cues. Similarly, using exercise as punishment creates a negative association with an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Making exercise for children fun and playful is a way to encourage a habit for life.
Instead of using food as a reward, consider these options:
- New art supplies or stickers
- Playing a favorite game
- Take an outing to a favorite place
- A new book
- Extra play time or a play date
The importance of talking positively about your own body to set an example.
Children pay close attention to the observations and judgments of their parents. When a parent criticizes their own body, young women are less likely to eat mindfully and appreciate their own bodies, according to a 2018 study. Parents can set a good example by talking with compassion about their own bodies and the bodies of others. If a child hears a critique of someone on TV, they may apply it to themselves.
Create a judgment-free home where kids and parents can talk about what they see and hear about bodies. Have conversations about unhealthy body image and put less emphasis on appearance. Instead, parents can talk about eating well to be healthy and feel good.
Tips that parents can implement at home, including:
Teaching by example is an important way for children to learn healthy habits. As parents encourage their kids to eat fruit and vegetables and avoid sugary drinks, they need to do the same, says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Regularly sharing snacks and meals is a great way to model this behavior. Add a fruit or vegetable to every snack and eat proper servings of vegetables at meals. To demonstrate how to avoid unhealthy foods, limit them to once-in-a-while and educate kids that sweets and salty snacks should only be consumed occasionally.
It’s also important for parents to teach children to listen to their own hunger cues. The AAP recommends parents do not make children clean their plates. Instead, give them appropriate portions of carbohydrates, fats and protein and teach them to trust their bodies. This prevents overeating and allows children to develop healthy habits long-term.
Shanthi Appelö is a registered dietitian and health and wellness spokesperson at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Read more food safety tips and recipes at AHealthierMichigan.org.
Image: Getty Images
