In my weight management clinic, I’m always telling parents to remove the TV in their child’s bedroom, both to improve their sleep and decrease their sedentary time. However, this typically is accompanied by complaints about this request from their children. I’m often caught between allying with my patients and doing what’s right for their health. Researchers have found even more reasons for me to insist that they remove their TV from their bedroom – it is associated with higher sugary drink consumption.
0 Comments
by Denise Simon, MPH Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with abundance, particularly of food. Usually there is a dish at the table for everyone, but this year, one young guest came up to me to share her critique of the meal. She said “I don’t like dinner, but I like these,” as she filled both fists with rolls. Her parents were quick to add some more vegetables to her plate to accompany the bread, and encouraged her “eat a rainbow,” meaning that she got a plate complete with squash, cranberry sauce, turkey, and peas. This just made her laugh as she promptly sat down and began to push the food around on her plate instead of into her mouth. This tiny guest demonstrated an age-old problem: how can parents encourage children, particularly those in “picky” phases, to try a variety of healthy foods?
|