How Misguided Rewards Are Shaping Our Kids’ Health
- One in 8 people in the world were living with obesity
- worldwide adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled
- 37 million children under the age of 5 are overweight
- over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years were overweight
These are some of the alarming stats by a study by WHO in 2022.
After reading these stats, I looked out towards the park near our house.
The place was teeming with children, playing and laughing. There were quite a few walkers and joggers, of different ages and sizes, doing their bit as part of their exercise routine.
Then, are the stats incorrect or am I missing something?
Looking around more closely, I discovered the disturbing trends that lead to developing bad eating habits, which in turn lead to obesity and other related health issues.
The kids all had with them either some sugary snacks or a bag of chips; some of the joggers were carrying some synthetic energy drink.
These the most obvious signs which are ignored (or overlooked) by all.
Misguided Reward System
“Here’s a chocolate for doing well!”
“Let’s order donuts to celebrate!”
A standard reaction when a child achieves minor victories. Treats are almost always rich decadent sweets and desserts.
This misguided reward system is the undoing of all the efforts you’ve put into developing healthy eating habits in the children.
Of course, you want to indulge your child but does it have to happen this way? Why only food? I know in many societies the only way to show affection is through food but let’s not overdo it.
Also it can have psychological impact as it will condition the child’s mind to associate food with emotions. This can lead to comfort eating at a later stage to beat stress or anxiety.
I had a parent who would buy a book or a board game every time her child did something commendable.
A good idea, don’t you think? It’s something that will help the child develop their many other skills.
I thought it was brilliant and would often suggest the same to the other parents from my classroom.
You can try non-material rewards like praising their efforts to follow clean and healthy eating habits. Or ask the child what they want to do, like go on a picnic or watch a movie together.
Also by diverting the attention from food, you’ll be able to reduce their cravings.
There’s a need to think about how to stop, or at least reduce, consumption of such sugary and unhealthy snacks. And replace it with clean and healthy food.
Lack of Variety and Exposure
Most of the snacks and junk food that fall into the ‘unhealthy’ category are easily and readily available, making them convenient to grab on the go. A packet of potato wafers or chips is never out of reach. Or that bottle of aerated drink.
And once you’re hooked to them, it’s an effort to break out of their clutches.
Add to that the lack of awareness about healthy alternatives is the reason for not trying to have healthy food.
Healthy food is no longer synonymous with boring or bland food. Search online and you’ll find a zillion recipes catering for all ages, tastes and occasions.
To create awareness about eating healthy, it’s important that it starts off early at home.
Get creative with the recipes. Introduce new food items. Go global with the choice of dishes. Make salads a consistent and integral part of your meals.
You can involve the children in preparing some healthy snacks or salads to show them it can be fun and tasty.
Or better still, let them help you prepare a meal plan of what they want to take in the lunchbox so they’ve a say in what they eat (healthy, of course).
Enjoying your home-cooked meals together can effortlessly start the much needed trend of healthy eating.
Unrealistic Expectations
Let’s address the elephant in the room now.
How to strike a balance between promoting healthy eating habits while also allowing your child to enjoy treats in moderation?
A seemingly difficult situation but it can be easily managed.
Kids don’t want to give up their treats. And they shouldn’t.
There’s no instant solution for this. It needs constant work.
Talk to your children about eating healthy. Build up those habits and stick with them.
When my elder one was training, the coach had made it clear that following proper schedules and eating healthy was non-negotiable. And in case you want to indulge your child, make it at home – his instructions to the parents was very clear.
So that started the habit at home. All of us switched to clean eating habits. Sunday was cheat day with home cooked treats.
And I didn’t have to convince or fight with my kiddo to stick with the healthy eating because the results were there for all to see. Every improvement, progress and victory was the proof needed.
Even now after years, when there’s no training or a coach around, the habit remains. We’ve become conscious about what we consume. Of course there’re the occasional indulgences and treats but overall I’ve no complaints.
What you can do –
Adopt a flexible, non-restrictive approach to get the family over to your side.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations.
Detox your pantry and fridge by removing all the unhealthy food items like aerated drinks and sweets. Start with simple steps like reading the labels for ingredients and their calories. Then maybe reduce the number of canned or tinned fruits and vegetables and replace them with fresh alternates. Replace sugary treats with healthy options made with jaggery or dates. Believe me, you’ll figure out what works or doesn’t for your family once you start the process.
Avoid imposing strict rules or restrictions around food. It could lead to rebellion or disordered eating habits. Instead negotiate some kind of schedule, like Sundays can be cheat days if the rest of the week they follow a clean diet.
Have a balanced approach with moderation and flexibility in food choices.
Conclusion
It’s time for an honest review of your own approach to promoting healthy eating habits in the family.
Eating healthy forms the foundation of a healthy life ahead. If the children grow up healthy, they’ll feel better about themselves. The healthy eating habits will not only impact their physical health but also their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Believe me, it’s never too late to start. It’s a positive change with long term benefits for your family’s health.
But it’s not restricted to just the kids; eating healthy is needed for the adults too. You can take the lead and set the ball rolling.