• At a young age, cleaning a child's plate should not be a requirement.  Kids have an amazing ability to listen to their hunger and fullness cues; in fact, much better than adults!  So making a child eat more than he or she wants can lead to unhealthy eating habits later in life.   
• Kids don't dehydrate like adults, so don't encourage sports drinks at a young age.  They are not professional athletes with adult needs.   Stick with water.
• Gaining weight will happen during puberty, so don't give your kids what they want all the time.

 "I stay away from bagels and bread. They have too many carbs," one says. "I'm on the Paleo Diet; I don't eat wheat or other grain foods," says a second.  "I don't eat pasta dinners any more. I have a big salad instead," says a third athlete. The fact is that too many of my clients are "staying away from carbs." One woman, an Ironman triathlete, was trying to train on a diet based on protein powder, almond butter, egg whites, and chicken, with a few spinach salads and apples on the side. No wonder she was struggling to complete her workouts! Her diet was short on wholesome grains that can easily fuel her muscles and help her perform at a high level.