One of the most basic ways to empower your children is to teach them to identify which macronutrients are on their plate. When you know the macronutrients of different foods, you learn how to build a balanced plate! This is essential for lifelong health whether you’re vigilantly tracking your macros or not.
While your small kids aren’t inputting their meals into MyFitnessPal, they certainly CAN still learn nutrition basics that will carry them far!
Teach them the hand size portion guide:
- 1 serving of protein = 1 palm.
- 1 serving of carbohydrates = 1 cupped hand.
- 1 serving of fats = 1 thumb.
- 1 serving of vegetables = 1 fist.
Teach them to look at nutrition labels. Before they open up a bag of chips and go to town, have them look up what a serving size actually is and portion their snack out themselves. They should be looking at the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats in a food item, just like you are! Make it fun! Have them check out the macros on different food items: a snickers bar, chicken thighs, chocolate pudding, fruit, a Stay Fit Mom recipe, etc. Read Not All Carbs are Created Equal and explain the differences between foods that keep them full and satisfied longer, and foods that will leave them hungry and dissatisfied.
Teach them the importance of budgeting. We all wish we could live a life without boundaries, but that just doesn’t lead to success. A limitless life leads to destruction. Eating whatever we want, whenever we want won’t do our bodies good, just like spending whatever we want whenever we want won’t do our finances any good. When we learn to eat and spend within our means, we THRIVE.
Get them in the kitchen cooking with you! They need to learn how to put together a meal if they’re ever to be self sufficient. We don’t want our kids heading to the drive thru for every meal when they start life on their own. Read more how to practically implement this with Age Appropriate Cooking Skills and Why Your Kids Should Be Cooking.
If you’re concerned with questions your kids might have about why you’re weighing and measuring your food? Click HERE for some advice on how to navigate that conversation.
Knowledge is POWER. Don’t hoard what you’re learning about nutrition to yourself! At Stay Fit Mom we’re about so much more than getting our clients to fit into their jeans. This is about generational change that will protect your kids, while leading them to a full, happy life!
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