October 8, 2018

Success Story

Sandy Kennedy

Clark County Extension Service

Grandparents Help Kids Develop Good Eating Habits

Planning Healthy meals was difficult for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, due to different likes and dislikes of healthy food choices.  Grandparents reported the children  only wanted Fast Food, Soda and Chips, resulting in higher calories which lead to extra weight gain that is harmful to their young bodies.

The Grandparents reported they tried everything to encourage the children to try some new foods that were healthier choices from the usual snacks they were consuming. Their attempts failed. That is when they decided to contact the Extension Office for ideas on how to get children to change their thinking about nutritious foods, plus to get them interested in learning how to read and make a recipe.

 A workshop of eight Grandparents was held on Healthy Choices with the My Plate. The Education Program Assistant introduced new ways to get the children involved with the making something new.

The My Plate introduce serving sizes from all the food groups. Using the My Plate incentive item and the Food Recall, results showed eight out of ten children changed their eating habits. The program assisted the Grandparents to understand that adding nutritious food to the plate can be fun and exciting when the children are involved in the preparation of the meal or the snack. Using the My Plate Healthy Choices for Everybody Curriculum, Grandparents also reported they were receptive to trying new foods.