Families & Communities

Families & Community -A Message to Parents...

Have you ever told your children to eat their veggies, only to look down at your own plate and realize that you haven’t eaten any yourself? Or does your spouse say “Gross, broccoli!” when you try to serve vegetables? Think about the messages children get when parents don’t follow their own healthy eating advice.

Even when they’re teenagers and are desperately trying to be nothing like you, you are still a role model for your children. They will pay attention to what you say and do and follow suit.  Make sure that you are modeling the healthy habits you want your kids to follow:

·         Eat breakfast every day.
·         Have dinner as a family - at the dinner table, not in front of the TV.
·         Eat your fruits and vegetables and drink your milk.
·         Focus on healthy foods, not on dieting or “bad” food.
·         Limit how often you eat desserts; try fruit after a meal instead.
·         If you really don’t like a food, stay quiet about it so your child can form their own opinion.

No one expects you to be a perfect role model; in fact, it can be beneficial to show your children that it is OK to fit a dessert into a balanced diet.

Do your best to model healthy habits - not only are they good for your child’s health, but for yours as well.


-Information provided by the Dakota County Public Health Department, 11/2010