Healthy Eating Habits
1) The problem we are going to solve is:

I would like my child to eat less junk food and choose to eat healthy food.

2.) The education that can create long-lasting change:
  • Show them child-friendly educational videos about sugar.
  • Show them images of how much sugar is in our every day foods.
  • Junk food is fine if it is within balance. If a person eats well and is active, then there is no reason they can't allocate room for sweets in their day-to-day.
  • There is a limited window for growth. Once you reach a certain age you stop growing in height. That means that this is the time to give your body the best nutrition you can to ensure you real your fullest potential. I'm not just talking about height either. The brain is also rapidly developing during this time as is your entire body.
  • Sugar creates a blood sugar spike, crash and then the craving for more sugar. When your body detects there is too much sugar in it, it secretes Insulin which tells your body to absorb all of the sugar. It overdoes this which sucks up too much glucose (energy) leaving you depleted and tired after. The drop then makes your body want more sugar in order to fix itself making you unnecessarily hungry.
  • Orexin—a brain chemical that keeps you feeling awake—is inhibited when you consume sugar. That means that you will feel tired which can lead to crankiness.
  • You can't trust your own thoughts. Things that feel good can be very bad for you. Addiction tricks your brain into believing this. Scientists have found that sugar is addictive and stimulates the same pleasure centers of the brain as cocaine or heroin. Just like those hard-core drugs, getting off sugar leads to withdrawal and cravings, requiring an actual detox process to wean off.
  • You'll poop better 💩 if you eat foods with fiber. Just thought you should know.
  • Better foods also make you less likely to crave sweets because they keep you full. Not only do high fiber sources like fruits and vegetables tend to be low in calories, but the fiber they contain slows digestion, which helps to keep you feeling full. ... High fiber foods digest much more slowly in the body. Therefore, food stays in your stomach longer helping you to feel full faster and longer as well.
  • Habits are hard to break. You might not see the impact now but a lifetime of poor eating habits can turn into obesity. Once you're at that point, it can be very difficult for your mind to do the work necessary to lose weight.
  • It can take months to change your palette. You may not like the taste of something new which is completely normal but not a reason to count it out. If you continue to eat it, your taste buds may actually change and you may find yourself craving better foods. It just takes you giving it a chance.
  • Eating poorly leads to poor concentration. In a study published in Child: Care, Health and Development (a European public health journal), researchers analyzed the fast-food consumption and test scores in maths and reading of 12,000 fifth-graders. They found that children who ate fast food four to six times within a given week tested significantly lower in maths and reading compared with children who did not.
3.) We will hold them accountable by:
  • I will give them a budget of one candy dollar a day as a way to allow for snacks in the right balance.
  • Candy dollars can only be spent if they have eaten sufficiently beforehand.
  • Buy cereals that they want which will no doubt be something colorful, and Cheerios. Whenever they choose the bad cereal, they will have to pay a candy dollar. Whenever they choose the Cheerios, it will be free. They will even be allowed to put chocolate syrup on it. (One Medical suggests: Don’t skip the chocolate. Rather than completely eliminating all desserts, allow yourself one or two squares of dark chocolate to help satisfy sweet cravings.). 
  • They will have to spend their own money if they want items from the impulse aisle at the store.
4.) We will incentivize good decisions by:
  • I will award bonuses when they try healthy foods, even if it's a bite.
  • I will award bonuses for days that they eat most of their meals.
  • I will verbally praise them whenever they choose the good foods over the bad foods.
  • I will try to be a better example by eating healthy myself.
  • I will keep a variety of fruits and vegetables out on the table where they will be able to walk by and snack.
  • I will add fun dips next to them such as peanut butter, sour cream, hummus, etc.
  • There will be snacks that are more fun than vegetables such as yogurt mixes, cheese sticks, pretzels, energy balls, fried bananas, granola bars etc. that will all be free options.
Follow this game plan
for at least 2 months
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