"These radishes are very crunchy!"
It could be the latest in multicolored, stackable, new school toys, but the MyPyramid for Preschoolers is just what it sounds like: A food pyramid tailored to address toddlers' nutritional flights of fancy and perpetual single-colored snack whims (Cheetos, Doritos and cheesy pasta during Orange Week; Cherry Kool-Aid, hot dogs dipped in ketchup and apples in The Season of Red). The design is being unveiled at this weekend's American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Chicago, which I will miss because I'll be in Madison, eating cheese- and oil-drenched Pokey Stix* with my friend Trish.
No pic of the pyramid has been released yet, but according to a Chicago Tribune story on the subject, it is "intended to help parents make better food choices for preschool children, aged 2 to 5 years—a critical time when food habits and taste preferences are established. Keeping tabs on calories is a bigger reality today than ever before, considering that nearly 15 percent of preschoolers in this country are overweight."
Some thoughts:
a) Where do gummy bears and preformed chicken nuggets fall on this new pyramid for three-year-olds?
b) When will they construct a gigantic, 4,000 calorie/day greasy fast food pyramid for pubescent boys to slide down?
Seriously, though, I like the fact that these guidelines, which will be available at MyPyramid.gov, can help frustrated parents tailor their kids' eating plans to accomodate for, say, a month-long Tater Tots-only stint, or a refusal to eat anything green other than their own boogers. There's a section called "phrases that help and hinder" that teaches you how to reframe food conversations to be more positive. One example: Instead of forcing a child to be a member of The Clean Plate Club (which will not seem all that impressive when listed under "Affiliations" on their future resume, FYI), why not try asking, "Is your stomach still making its hungry growling noise?" Love it! Teaching kids to listen to their bodies before they get all messed up like us, chowing down because we're bored or angry or happy.
Although this suggested phrase-swap made me laugh:
Instead of: "If you do not eat one more bite, I will be mad."
Try: "These radishes are very crunchy!"
On a slightly related note, did you know there's an Okinawa Food Pyramid, a Soul Food Pyramid and a Vegetarian Food Pyramid?
*My Weekend Food Pyramid will consist of 6-11 servings/day of dippable carbs; 3-5 servings per day of veggie-rich drinks (um, hello, a dirty martini has three heart-healthy olives in it!); and limited amounts of whole grains. Bon voyage!
(PS Thanks to my mom, a preschool teacher herself, for tipping me off to this idea!)
