5 Ways to Get Your Girl-Child to Think Healthy

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting with the Nassau County Girl Scouts. I was part of a group of supporters, parents, girls, volunteers and staff who were gathered to hear a presentation from the medical professionals from Long Island's Winthrop University Hospital. The topic of the day: Body Image and Eating Disorders. We covered:

Eating Disoders: This includes a spectrum of disorders from anorexia and bulimia to obesity. (Interesting Note: As I was typing this post, a newscast just announced that 1 in 5 preschoolers is obese.)

Disordered eating: This is a new term for me but one that I'm definitely guilty of. This includes habits like cutting carbs, restricting foods, and skipping meals (i.e. Coffee for breakfast. Salad for lunch. STARVING by 5 pm. Go home. Inhale everything in fridge.) They may seem harmless, but over time, these habits can lead to poor nutrition, unhealthy weight loss and obesity.

Media influences on body image: The average model/celebrity seen in magazines and on television is 23% smaller and 4" taller than an average woman. With that in mind, it's disturbing that girls as young as 3rd grade are now dieting to attain that certain look. **********************************************************************
With so much to think about, we wanted to discuss what parents could do to encourage healthy attitudes. So without further ado, here are 5 ways to get your girl-child (or any child for that matter) to think healthy:

1. Watch what you say about your own body, Mama.
We can't tell our girls that their bodies are beautiful and then turn around and complain about how fat our butts look in our stretchy jeans. Girls pick up on and internalize those negative cues whether we want them to or not.

2. Kick junk food out of the house.
Yes, it's easier said than done, but if there aren't any chips, cookies or snack cakes in the house, then no one can eat them. Popcorn, fruit, granola bars and baked tortilla chips with salsa are a better alternative to salty or sugary snacks. Or try this. Blend fresh fruit, honey and yogurt into a smoothie. Pour it into popsicle molds (or ice cube trays covered in plastic wrap so you can add a stick) and voila! Fruit pops!

3. Help her understand that media images not real. Nobody looks like the models and celebrities in magazines and on television. They don't even look like that. A great example of how those glossed-up, retouched, made-over, picture perfect images are created is the Dove "Evolution" video.

4. Send her to My Food Pyramid
This interactive website is a great way to help kids (and adults!) interested in nutrition. It has a really cool tool that will tell you just what you should be eating every day based on your height, weight and age. It even has creative ideas for getting your correct daily dose of grains, veggies, fruits, diary, proteins and oils. Plus games, printouts and special sections for kids. Fun!

5. Get that girl-child up and moving!
Who says you have to join a gym or own expensive exercise equipment to get fit? "There are so many different ways to exercise and most of them are so much fun that [your girl] may not even realize what a great workout [she's] getting! Rollerblading, jumping rope, skateboarding, bike riding, walking, and playing team sports are all fun and easy ways to get her body moving. One of the best forms of exercise? Dancing! If she does it for 20 minutes, just 3 days a week [she's] got herself a real exercise program." - Feel Good, Girl!

Got other ideas for getting kids to think healthy? Sharing is caring! Leave 'em in the comments so we can all give them a try.