Take the fight out of food

It’s Nutrition Month! This year’s theme from Dietitians of Canada is “Take the Fight out of Food.” That’s exactly what our Sobeys Pharmacy Dietitians do every day. The aisles of the grocery store are the perfect classroom for learning more about what foods are right for you and your family.

Do you ever get frustrated by food and nutrition? Maybe you are tired of the same old meals or unsure what foods are best for a particular health condition. These can be called “food fights” –when you struggle with knowing what to eat.

Try a three-step approach to end food fights:

1. Spot the problem. Identify or define the specific nutrition problem that needs to be solved, since it’s causing a fight with food.

2. Get the facts. Decide what needs to be done to solve the problem, using reliable and credible sources.

3. Seek support. Put the plan into action with support from family, friends, a dietitian and other members of the health care team.

One common food fight is managing picky eating and decreasing mealtime mayhem. This is a real food fight for many busy families that struggle to get a meal on the table everyone will eat and enjoy.

Spot the problem

Most parents don’t have time to be a short order cook – nor should you be. Preparing one healthy meal is enough.

Get the facts

End mealtime battles by realizing parents and kids each have a specific job at mealtime. This is called the division of responsibility. The parents’ job is to decide what, where and when balanced meals are served and the kids’ job is to decide what and how much they are going to eat.

Try not to coax, beg or bribe children to eat meals even when you are tempted to negotiate for another bite or two. Appetites vary from day to day. It is normal for children to eat a lot one day, or at one meal, and not much the next. Letting children do their job at meals will teach them to listen to their body’s hunger cues.

Kids watch everything we do – even when we don’t want them to! Parents are the role models for healthy eating, so you need to eat your peas too! You will be helping your children develop healthy eating habits that will follow them into adulthood.