We may face many challenges while nutrition parenting if we didn’t do it "right" in our children’s very early years, and possibly even if we did. If we got off on the wrong foot being a short order cook or buying convenience foods for the sake of time, there is probably a need for change. What stops us from making necessary nutrition improvements for our children? There are probably several reasons. Two of the most prevailing may be because we are not ready to handle our children’s disagreement, or maybe because the convenience foods save us the time we all desperately need. In these two reasons is the temptation to sacrifice nutrition for time and for the ease of feeding our children something we know they will eat.
Author Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life a Chapter called "Defeating Temptation". In this chapter he quotes...
Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no differentfrom what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.1 Corinthians 10:13
In his book he quotes "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Temptation grows when you focus on what you do not want because you are thinking about it. This is supported in the bible, it is written in Rick Warren’s book with many examples through Scripture, it is written in several "new age" books, and there are magnitudes of inspirational quotes that say the same thing. You know it first hand. It is the goal you reached by focusing on what you wanted. It is like the diet you stuck with because your goal and your desire were to lose weight. The times you dieted and focused on what you couldn’t eat, you thought more about that forbidden food and most likely didn’t follow through with your diet. You were tempted. You were not focused.
Same thing happens when you decide you are not going to buy any more junk for your children at the grocery store instead of focusing on only buying healthier foods for your children. The intensity rises when you take them with you to the grocery store. They start asking for things you didn’t have on your list and you walk out with one or two items you didn’t intend to buy. But now you are ready and He will help you.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me Philippians 4:13.
Kim was on her way to the grocery store and she was ready to buy healthy foods for her children, determined not to buy the less healthy packaged processed snacks. She decided last week she was going to buy more fruits and vegetables for her children to snack on. She was a little concerned about how her kids might react. Once she was at the store, her thoughts started to lead her to what she was used to buying "just in case" her children refused all the healthier choices. Kim quickly changed her thoughts. Instead, she focused on her desire for healthy children and found a solution for handling any objection that might arise. She would communicate to her children that she made a mistake and needed to fix it.
Kim served red bell pepper strips and an apple with her daughter’s lunch the next day. Sure enough, her child asked, "Mom, may I have some chips with my sandwich please?" Kim replied, "We do not have any chips today sweetheart. Mommy realizes she made a mistake and I need to fix it. We need to eat more fruits and vegetables for good health. I have been giving you chips with your sandwiches and as a snack on many occasions, and that is my mistake. Chips are OK sometimes and are called sometimes foods. Fruits and vegetables are anytime foods and you can eat fruits and vegetables anytime. "
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Kim stayed focused and let her child know there will be a time for chips. Even she likes to have chips with her sandwich sometimes. However, this is not the habit or norm that Kim wanted to create for her child. She wanted her child to grow up reaching for fruits and vegetables as a snack.
You know your child and how he or she may react. It may flow smoothly or not so smoothly. Be reasonable with your expectations and be firm and kind. Change one thing at a time. Kids like what is familiar. Some studies show that children may need to try a food up to 20 times before they might like it. Try different presentations of the same food, but realize children are geared for blandness. Our adult taste buds are different than theirs. This is a great opportunity to offer them plain, fresh crunchy vegetables as snacks. Keep celery, red bell pepper, and carrot sticks cut up and in containers in the fridge where children can reach. If you are very busy, prepare their favorite sandwiches in advance and keep them on a low shelf in the refrigerator. Let your children know the food is there if they get hungry.
Stay focused on what you want. You want healthy children. Pray that they crave healthy foods, and keep these foods available and within their reach. Remember too, that part of this process as proven in studies, is you have to offer the healthy foods to them and they have to prefer the foods you are offering. Children may start to prefer the foods you offer them if you continue to offer them, making these foods familiar!
Keep it fun because that is also part of the presentation!
