DIETITIAN’S DIARY (March 15th)

Over the weekend, the Skinny Gene Project was happy to have a booth at the Kids in the Kitchen fair in San Diego.

As a Registered Dietitian and long time Pediatric Dietitian, I was very proud of our youth! The kids were eager to learn about, wait….can you believe this? Fruits and Vegetables!

Our booth was created to teach kids about the importance of having these micronutrient rich foods in there diets. We had plates loaded with colorful fruits and vegetables and many other fun props to teach kids the role of vitamins A,C,D, E, K, and the mineral Calcium are for there bodies. The kids came up to the booth pointing, touching, and talking about their favorite fruits and vegetables, some of their answers even surprised their parents!

There was some talk from parents of their kids being picky eaters, not liking certain or all vegetables. This is one thing I have seen over my career working with kids, but there is good news, which I passed on to each of these parents. Kids will eat fruits and vegetables if that is what is offered and available. If you give your child a choice between carrots and cheetos, there is no doubt what they will choose. The solution is easy, leave the cheetos at the grocery store! If you don’t want your child to eat something, don’t buy it for them! I know this is easy for me to say, but once your child gets used to the rules, that’s it, remember who is in charge!

BY: Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC