Pediatrician takes wellness to a whole new level, helping parents and kids focus on healthy foods
According to the American Psychological Association, children see an average of 40,000 commercials each year are for unhealthy foods, prompting them to want more of those items when they see them in the stores. On average, 33 percent of children and 41 percent of adolescents consume fast food on any given day. There is a problem with the state of children’s health today. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that childhood obesity has doubled in the last 30 years, with a third of all children and adolescents now considered overweight or obese.
“The problem does not stop with obesity,” explains Dr. Nimali Fernando, a pediatrician who founded The Doctor Yum Project. “Childhood obesity is just the tip of the iceberg. Under the surface lies the other 70 percent of children, many who may be of normal body weight but suffer from diet-related illnesses. In my practice I see these illnesses like chronic constipation, gastroesophageal reflux, anxiety, and difficulties with attention and concentration. So many of these symptoms are directly related to the diet.”
Dr. Fernando is one pediatrician in the nation who is on a mission to help parents turn this situation around and help families find a way to rediscover wellness. She founded The Doctor Yum Project, a nonprofit organization, to take on this issue and help parents and children learn to eat healthier and strive for a healthier lifestyle. Her innovative, wellness-focused practice, Yum Pediatrics also houses a 1000 square foot teaching kitchen, designed to inspire the most reluctant eater. In the kitchen she teaches her patients how to cook and offers classes to the community at large through the Doctor Yum Project. Behind the office is a teaching garden meant to be an outdoor waiting space for her patients and a place for her cooking students to learn how food grows and to inspire a love of locally grown produce.
Here are some tips that Dr. Fernando offers for creating a culture of wellness:
- Cook together. So many families find cooking to be a chore at the end of the day. Involve the whole family in meal preparation and use that time to connect with your children. Show kids that spending time preparing fresh foods together is a way to take care their bodies. If kids learn to cook from a young age, it gives them confidence and skills essential for leading a healthy life.
- Play together. Find physical activities that you enjoy and do these as a family. Revive traditions and build healthy habits by incorporating fun activities like a walk every Sunday after church or a family bike ride after lunch at Grandma’s house.
- Be a role model. Kids can learn healthy habits most effectively if their parents model that same behavior. This doesn’t mean parents have to be perfect, but showing that you are working on being healthier can inspire kids to do the same.
- Get everyone involved. When a family makes a commitment to be healthy, get everyone to buy in. Draft a family mission statement and include a line about how your family strives to be healthy. Encourage everyone to sign it. Include extended family in your culture of wellness too.
- Connect with others. Families are most successful in sustaining healthy habits if they have connections with others who are doing the same. Cook healthy potlucks with family friends, talk to your children’s schools about creating wellness initiatives, and form a walking group with co-workers. Support from peers serves as powerful fuel for your family’s positive health changes.
“At first it may seem like work to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle,” added Dr. Fernando. “But after a while it will all become second nature and will help solidify great habits in your kids.”
The Doctor Yum Project does educational outreach, offers cooking classes for children, a cooking club, and a preschool nutrition program. Cooking classes for kids are available in age groups that include 3-6-year-olds, 7-12-year-olds, and 12-18-year-olds. They are now offering classes for adults as well. For more information, visit the Doctor Yum Project website here: www.doctoryum.com.