Q&A

My daughter refuses to eat any veggies. How can I make sure she gets enough nutrients each day?
– Priscilla

Start by setting a good example — let her see you eating a nutritious diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Then, use your imagination. Chop up or shred veggies (try carrots or zucchini) and put them in foods like muffins, pancakes, or pasta sauce. Dress up veggies with something she enjoys — sprinkle cheese on broccoli, for example, or spread peanut butter on celery or serve veggie sticks with yogurt dip.

Sometimes, a fun arrangement can get kids eating. Make up a plate of mini foods (baby carrots, baby corn, cherry tomatoes, etc.) or make a face out of vegetables, complete with peas for eyes, a carrot for the nose, and sprouts for hair. Just make sure that veggies are cut into small pieces so they don’t pose a choking risk.

Ask your daughter what vegetables she would be willing to try and go shopping together to select them. Encourage her to try the vegetables you serve, but don’t force her to eat them.

If you have concerns about your child’s nutrition, talk to her doctor or talk to a registered dietician, who can help you deal with your finicky eater.

Experts worry that this diminished connection with the natural world could affect not only physical fitness, but spiritual well-being. As a result, many parents are trying to get their kids outside more. But how?

Here are some ideas:

• Even a small suburban backyard can be explored (what’s under those rocks?), made more nature-friendly with some bird feeders and a birdbath, or be the setting for a family camping night.
• Give geocaching a try. This modern treasure hunt activity uses GPS coordinates to direct seekers to urban, suburban, and rural spots for small stashes of fun stuff placed by other geocachers. Engage computer-loving kids by asking them to visit one of the many online geocaching resources to choose which treasures the family should search for.
• The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) suggests baby steps for kids who are not natural outdoorsy types. Start with a daily “green hour” of unstructured play and interaction with nature. You might try a 15-minute excursion into the backyard to identify the birds you see there or a walk around the block to spot different plants and flowers.
• Even during winter, there are fun ways to get fresh air. Try sledding, skiing, ice skating, or snowboarding as a family.
• In springtime, consider starting a family vegetable garden. Even very young kids can help with weeding and watering.

The NWF and many other organizations offer loads of ideas for outdoor play and exploration on their websites. Make it the mission of your computer-savvy kids to go online and find some activities they’d like to try.

I want to try to reform my daughter’s unhealthy eating habits. But I am worried that by not letting her eat high-calorie, high-fat junk food, I’ll be paving the way for her to develop an eating disorder. I want her to be healthy, but I don’t want to make her unhappy about herself either. How do I handle this?
– Julie

Balance is the most important thing when developing healthy eating habits. Teach your daughter to eat healthy foods the majority of the time and to save fattening or sugar-filled junk foods for occasional treats. These treats should not be completely banned or else they will be even more appealing to your daughter!

Encourage healthy habits by:

• having family meals
• being a good role model yourself
• stocking up on a variety of healthy food options
• serving three meals a day, with good-for-you snacks in between
• encouraging your kids to drink water rather than sodas and juices

Give your daughter ways to boost her self-esteem, give her lots of compliments, and encourage her to talk to you if she has any concerns about her body image.

My 15-year-old daughter has been exercising multiple times a day and it’s beginning to take over her life. Can this be bad for her?
– Alysanne

Excessive exercising can indeed be detrimental to your daughter’s health. Over-exercising, often associated with eating disorders, can lead to tendon, ligament, bone, cartilage, joint, and muscle damage — and even disruption of the menstrual cycle. Feeling a compulsive need to exercise and having intense feelings of guilt or anxiety over a missed workout are common signs in a teen who over-exercises.

If you think your daughter may be exercising excessively, talk to your doctor for advice. He or she can better evaluate the situation and help you and your daughter find the best way to deal with the situation.

My daughter would be happy eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. How can I get her to eat different foods?
– Carlene

It can be frustrating when kids want to eat the same thing every day — but it’s not uncommon. Kids are often slow to accept new tastes and textures, so you may have to present a food 10 to 15 times before they’ll accept it. Encourage your daughter to give new foods a try, but don’t force her to eat them.

Look for recipes with ingredients your kids like, and invite them to join you in the grocery shopping, cooking, and serving of foods. Don’t let them fill up on juice or milk before meals, and try offering veggies as between-meal snacks.

Since your daughter likes peanut butter, let her put it on other foods, like apples or celery. Sometimes preparing foods differently, presenting foods in interesting ways, or using cookie cutters to cut food into fun shapes, can make foods more appealing to picky eaters.

It’s important not to let a child’s pickiness become a source of mealtime tension. You shouldn’t cook special meals just for a picky eater, but do include something your daughter likes in every meal. And although it might be tempting, don’t use food as a reward. Telling kids they can have a cookie if they eat their broccoli only reinforces the appeal of the cookie over the veggies.

My son is always asking for caffeinated soft drinks. Is it OK to let him have them?
– Marla

It’s a good idea to keep caffeine consumption to a minimum, especially in younger kids. The effects of a caffeinated beverage on a child will be much more pronounced than on an adult because kids weigh less and are still growing and developing.

Caffeine is a drug that’s naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. It’s also made artificially and added to certain foods. At lower levels, caffeine can make people feel more alert and energetic.

In both kids and adults, though, too much caffeine can cause jitteriness, an upset stomach, headaches, and sleeping problems. Especially in young kids, it doesn’t take a lot of caffeine to produce these effects. Caffeine also can aggravate heart problems and some behavioral and nervous system disorders.

Because of the concern about the adverse effects of caffeine, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages caffeine consumption for all children. The United States doesn’t have guidelines for caffeine intake and kids, but Canadian guidelines recommend that preschoolers get no more than 45 milligrams of caffeine a day. That’s the average amount of caffeine found in a 12-ounce (355-milliliter) can of soda or four 1.5-ounce (43-gram) milk chocolate bars.

It’s also good to remember that too many sugar-sweetened drinks (with or without caffeine) can lead to obesity and dental cavities.

Preschoolers love being physically active, so it’s no wonder that it’s often hard to keep them in one place. The solution is to work with their high energy levels. It’s important to keep them safe, of course, but give them plenty of chances to be active.

Create an informal activity schedule at home. Rainy days can be difficult, so it might be worth a trip to a museum, indoor playground, or shopping mall so kids can move around. If your child attends childcare or preschool, ask how often the kids go outside and what the class does on bad-weather days.

To TV or Not to TV?

TV or computer time might interest preschoolers, but these activities do nothing to burn off all that energy. Set limits on screen time because preschoolers may not know when they’ve had enough TV and computer use.

Preschoolers shouldn’t be inactive for more than an hour at a time unless they’re sleeping, so it’s easy to understand why a lot of screen time isn’t a good idea. It can start a pattern of inactivity that could lead to weight problems or inadequate physical fitness.

If you decide to let your child watch TV and/or use the computer, the combined screen time should be less than 2 hours a day. Carefully choose the shows, videos, DVDs, software, and websites your child interacts with. Educational programs and those that encourage kids to exercise or dance are often good choices. Place the computer and TV in a part of the house where you can easily monitor them.

Even though many shows, videos, websites, and computer games are marketed to preschoolers, using the computer and watching TV are not as valuable as other pastimes, such as playing, going outside, talking to a parent, or drawing a picture.

The Very Active Preschooler

Preschoolers are such movers and shakers that some parents may worry that their child could be hyperactive or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In fact, these disorders usually aren’t diagnosed in preschoolers because it’s normal for them to be active and have shorter attention spans.

As kids get older, more is expected of them, and it is then that it may become clear that a child is less focused, has poorer judgment, or is much more active than others.

If you think overactivity might be a problem for your child, consider these questions:

• Is your child’s activity level unusual for kids of the same age?
• Is your child highly active in all settings (home, preschool, etc.) or just in some settings, such as in church?
• Is your child highly active all or most of the time? Or is it mostly on days when he or she can’t get outside to run and play?

If your child is very active, try to avoid situations where he or she is forced to sit still for long periods of time. And when sitting is unavoidable, find ways to get your child some activity, such as taking breaks during a long car trip just so your child can run around a bit.

If you’re still concerned, talk to your doctor. But the good news is that most preschoolers will become calmer and more focused by the time they reach the early school years.

My 2-year-old used to be a pretty good eater. But now she’s going through a phase where she won’t even try the vegetables I serve. How can I get more veggies into her mouth and off the floor?
– Mila

As most parents know, there are two things you can’t force a child to do: eat and sleep. This is especially true of toddlers, who often assert their independence through eating — or not eating — the foods you put on their plates.

For many toddlers, vegetables come under particular scrutiny. But don’t despair — with time and patience, even the most finicky eaters can find several veggies they like (and a few they even love!).

Here are some strategies that might help:

• Don’t give in to a food jag. Most young children go through phases where they want to eat the same thing day after day. But that doesn’t mean you have to oblige. Serving a variety of foods, including vegetables, will encourage your daughter to be more flexible when she’s hungry.
• If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Studies have shown it may take 10 or more tries before a child accepts a new food. Try serving a small portion so it’s less overwhelming or consider pairing veggies with something you know she likes.
• Avoid nagging, forcing, bargaining, or bribing. All of these tactics will create power struggles and are doomed to fail in the long run. Just continue offering an array of veggie choices and encourage her to give them a try. Keep mealtime moods upbeat.
• Set a good example. Have family meals together and let your child see you eating a variety of nutritious foods yourself. Also, toddlers are also more likely to eat what their peers are eating, so look for opportunities where she can eat healthfully with friends.
• Involve her in choosing and preparing the vegetables you serve. For example, she could decide whether you’ll have green beans or broccoli tonight, or whether you’ll bake zucchini or carrot muffins. She can even wash lettuce and snap green beans. Simple choices will help her feel a sense of control.
• Make it fun. Try making a veggie face (like cucumber eyes, tomato nose, green bean mouth, and shredded carrot hair). Toddlers also love dipping, so try serving veggies with yogurt or broccoli with melted cheese.

One thing to keep in mind when serving fresh fruit and veggies: Raw vegetables and hard fruits can be a choking hazard for young children. Be sure to cook them or cut them into small enough pieces so that they don’t pose a choking risk.

What Kind of Activity?

There’s nothing cuter than a bunch of preschoolers playing T-ball or soccer, but is it the best way for them to be active? Probably not.

Team sports offer a chance for preschoolers to meet each other and get some exercise, but can be too complicated. Even simple rules may be hard for a 4- or 5-year-old to understand. If you’ve ever watched your child run the wrong way during a game, you already know this.

The average preschooler has not mastered sports basics such as throwing, catching, and taking turns. This can be frustrating and may discourage future participation in sports. If you do decide to enroll your child in soccer or another team sport, choose a peewee league that emphasizes the fundamentals.

The coach’s attitude and the way other parents approach the game are also important. Above all, a team activity should be fun, not upsetting. If your child isn’t having fun, ask why and try to address the issue or find another activity.

If you haven’t signed your child up for a team sport yet, don’t worry. Myths persist about how kids need a “head start” if they want to be competitive when they’re older. But kids who learn the fundamentals and like being active can readily catch on to sports when they’re a little older.

Keeping Preschoolers Active

If sports aren’t a must, what should be on a preschooler’s schedule? Engage your child in activities that are fun and challenging, but not beyond his or her abilities. Preschoolers are learning to hop, skip, and jump forward, and like to show how they can balance on one foot for a few seconds, catch a ball, or do a somersault.

They also may enjoy swimming, hiking, dancing, and riding a tricycle or bicycle with training wheels. All of these activities help develop skills and coordination. It’s important for preschoolers to engage in a variety of activities to encourage a wide range of movement and skills.

The National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that every day preschoolers should:

• get at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity (adult-led activity)
• get at least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity (free play)
• not be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time (unless sleeping)

Adult-led activity means that you can get involved. Kids love seeing their parents play. Doing so also shows that being active is part of the normal routine for your family. Running, playing, and practicing basic skills, such as throwing, catching and kicking balls in the backyard or using playground equipment at a local park can be fun for the entire family.

Other activities to try with your preschooler (or for preschoolers to do together):

• Play games such as “Duck, Duck, Goose” or “Follow the Leader.” Mix it up with jumping, hopping, and walking backward.
• Kick a ball back and forth or set up a goal for your child.
• Practice hitting a ball off a T-ball stand.
• Play freeze dance or freeze tag.
• Practice balancing by pretending to be statues.

Kids who enjoy physical activity tend to stay active throughout their lives. And staying fit can improve self-esteem, help maintain a healthy weight, and decrease the risk of serious illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

When my 14-year-old daughter and her friends are hanging out at our house, it seems like they’re always raiding the refrigerator! I didn’t think anything about it but then I heard about this thing called a binge eating disorder. What is it? And should I be worried?
– Hannah

Binge eating, also called compulsive overeating, is different from simply overeating now and then, like at sleepovers.

Teens with binge eating disorder feel a powerful urge to overeat, regularly eat large amounts of food, and don’t stop when they become full. They feel out of control and powerless to stop eating. Other signs of binge eating are feeling guilty or acting secretively about the large amounts of food eaten. Sometimes these binges are triggered by emotional stresses, which may occur with problems with friends, academic difficulties, or fighting with family members.

People who binge are usually overweight — even obese — because they take in so many more calories than their bodies can use. As a result, they may gain weight rapidly. They may feel bad about themselves, feel that they lack self-control, and feel bad about their bodies.

Your daughter may simply be overeating from time to time, but if you think she could have a problem with binge eating, talk to your doctor. Successful treatments are available that can help teens to feel better about themselves and to have a healthy relationship with food.