Christina Economos, Ph.D. Celebrity Guru

Dr. Economos is the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition and Assistant professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She has acted as the primary catalyst and researcher for many of the activities at Tufts University targeted towards childhood nutrition and physical activity with the goal of improving the health of America’s children. She is an innovator, using theory and scientific evidence as vehicles to inspire community-based change. Her expertise includes working effectively with diverse populations/communities, developing and applying behavior change strategies with children and families to improve diet and physical activity, and crafting, implementing and evaluating nutrition education curriculum.

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Proactive vs. Reactive

Be proactive instead of reactive with your kids diets, and set limits. Have healthy snacks prepared and around and easy to get to. That way, you're ready when the kids want something. Some suggestions include cut up fruits, whole grain crackers and cheese, baby carrots and hummus.
Set limits with your kids. If you're going out for ice cream, set the limit that you're going out for one cone of ice cream, not a sundae, so that there aren't arguments in the store.

Provide Proper Nurishment

Make a point to make more nurishment earlier in the day. Adults cotnrol their weight by skipping breakfast, having a light lunch and usually overeating at dinner. This is not suggested and don't let your kids follow this model. A nice breakfast will help balance your kids and get through the day. Have a breakfast that includes at least three food groups: one from the milk group, a low fat dairy, and a grain food. yogurt/granola/blueberries.

Meal Time is Quality Time

Make meal time quality time. Turn off the TV, eat together at table, and participate as a group in making the meal and doing the cleanup. This provides an opportunity for parent role modeling, and education about the food you're eating.

Limit Screen Time

Studies show that a increase in television time is part of the obesity epidemic. Screen time should be limited in the household - this includes TV and computer games. There are clear recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit screen time to two hours a day. Also, no TV in the bedroom. By increasing screen time, you're supplementing active time with sedative time.

Get Physical

It's important for kids to stay physically active and get at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity. This activity can range from daily play to organizing games with friends to some structured activity (sports/dance).