Helping parents raise healthy eaters
Ever wish your kids would eat a healthy meal at the table, with no TV?
The Raising Healthy Eaters curriculum provides parents with the information they need to encourage healthy eating habits. Photo by USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Teaching good eating habits to young children is the goal of the University of Wisconsin-Extension curriculum Raising Healthy Eaters. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nutrition specialists Heather Harvey and Gayle Coleman adapted a Michigan curriculum to help Wisconsin parents encourage healthy eating.
In Wisconsin, 25% of 2-to 5-year-olds are either overweight or at risk for being so. Raising Healthy Eaters addresses this with small-group sessions on parenting, children's eating behaviors and nutrition. Lessons include group discussion, hands-on activities, food preparation and tasting, and goal setting.
Six counties have piloted the curriculum, partnering with the Women, Infants, and Children Program; Head Start; and Family Resource Centers. All 25 low-income participants completing the program said they would recommend it to friends or family. One parent said she learned that "mealtimes can be stress-free and enjoyable." When asked what they do differently as a result of the program, the most common answer was introducing more new foods to their children, followed by eating with the TV off, serving smaller portions and choosing healthier foods. — Jo Futrell
For more information: Nutrition Specialist Heather Harvey, heather.harvey@uwex.edu, (608) 263-7321