Happy Father’s Day dear families!

Although this holiday is usually associated with buying dad a tie/electronic gizmo/golg club/fishing gear and enjoying a BBQ meal, we’d like to take a minute to ponder the paternal role in a family’s healthy eating habits.

Not just moms – Nutrition is a job for both mom and dad. If mom is serving up a salad and fish, but dad pops a frozen cheeseburger in the microwave, kids get a mixed message about what to eat. Even more subtle gestures, such as jokes about salads and refraining from brocolli at dinner tells the kids, especially boys, what is considered “manly” food, and what is for girls and sissies. It’s bad enough we have “Hungry Man” TV Dinners for guys and “Lean Cuisine” for gals.

Meal times – It’s hard to find time to sit together for a family meal every day. Breakfast is grab and go, lunch is at school/work, and dinnertime is often spent working extra hours, an evening shift, or stuck in traffic. However, multiple studies have shown that families that eat together often tend to grow more responsible teens that stay away from drugs, perform better at school, and in general make their dads proud. So make the effort, if not daily, at least on weekends, to eat together.

Snack time - There’s a lot of temptation when it comes to snacking. it seems like every place your turn, you can get a doughnut, bag of chips, and a 20 oz slurpee. Sure, these are convenient ways to calm a growling tummy on the road or when coming home after a long day out of the house. But with a few minutes of preparation, you and your kids can enjoy a healthy snack of carrot sticks, apple slices, strawberries, peanut butter filled celery sticks, and more.

Role model – If mom is the sole person charged with grocery shopping and food preparation, while dad’s job is just to comment on the dishes based on taste (and wash the plates after the meal), it will be very hard to switch from greasy, salty comfort foods to healthier fare. By participating in the preparation process, dads can learn alot about what works and what doesn’t. Plus, there’sa good chance the children will want to join in as well. And when kids help prepare a dish, there’s an increased chance they’ll try it too.

Exercise – If your idea of getting fit is getting off the La-Z-Boy to get some more ice cream before the next game starts on ESPN, what is junior going to think? How about spending time tossing a ball around outside? And no, Wii Fit does not count.

Vices – What kind of message do children get when they see dad drinking daily, smoking, and engaging in other habits that are hard to break?

To summarize, you dad, are a family breadwinner, but your responsibilities also include making sure it’s whole wheat bread, and that it’s serve with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean dairy and meat.

Moms – please forward to your hubbies…

good luck!

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