People tend to eat what is put in front of them - everything that is put in front of them. Most people in America, including most people in Indian country, have an incorrect idea of what is a healthy portion. That is reason we have so many obese children and adults. For example, just one super-sized meal at McDonalds has all the calories an average-sized woman or child would need for the entire day. Yet, how many people do you know who eat at McDonalds and that is their only meal of the day? Even if it was your only meal, you still would not have gotten all the vitamins you need, so, just as an aside - never super-size it!
A simple way to reduce the number of calories a child eats each day is to give them a smaller portion size. Many people on reservations we serve find this hard to do, for three reasons. First, no one wants to be known as stingy. Second, for those of us who grew up not always having enough food ourselves, the last thing we want is for our children to ever go hungry, so we over-feed them. Third, we have all gotten used to large portions, so it looks normal to us.
Here are a couple of simple tricks to reduce the sizes every one gets and keep everyone happy.Notice how we put the pastry on a small plate. The pastry nearly fills the plate. If your child normally asks for seconds when you have macaroni and cheese, give her a smaller plateful each time. Give your child a small plateful and fill it up each time.
See that pastry? If you normally give one to each child, cut the pastry in three pieces. Give each child two pieces. So, this morning they get two pieces of pastry where before they only got one. Yes, of course they will realize each slice is smaller. Only the very weirdest child is going to measure them and figure out,
"Hey, this is two-sixth of a pastry, not three-sixths!"
You can do the same with everything. If you normally give your child two sandwiches, cut each one in half and put three of the halves in separate bags. Have the fourth one for breakfast or lunch yourself. Give any leftovers to the dog. Hey, if someone in my family is going to have a heart attack, I'd rather it be the dog. It may be sad but it's always easier to get another dog.
Next page: Getting exercise