Less nutritious choices are a fact of life. Less nutritious foods include both foods that do not fit into the four food groups (the so-called non-food-group foods, such as pop, candy, sauces, salty snacks and condiments) and less nutritious choices from the food groups such as french fries, commercial muffins, ice cream and wieners.
The two categories are different: non-food-group foods do not contain important nutrients, while less nutritious food-group foods do contain some nutrients. Like non-food-group foods, less nutritious food-group foods tend to be higher in fat, salt or sugar than more nutritious food-group foods. For example, although french fries are high in salt and fat, they are still made from potatoes, which are part of the Vegetables and Fruit food group.
Because of their limited nutritional value,both of these categories of food should be limited. But in practice, these foods add to the enjoyment of eating, so they cannot be ignored.
What is the best approach? Focus on the positive: rather than reinforcing the bad-food/good-food paradigm under which most kids operate, emphasize foods that we should eat (e.g., nutritious food-group foods) rather than focusing on foods we should not eat.
Let's face it: dissuading kids from drinking pop or eating candy can make those choices more appealing! Research shows that even at a very young age, children can discriminate between healthy and not-so-healthy choices; your energy may be better spent on reinforcing other age-appropriate positive messages about healthy eating. When kids do learn to discriminate between less and more nutritious options, encourage them to replace less nutritious choices with more nutritious ones from the four food groups (e.g., instead of a croissant or pastry, choose a whole-grain bagel).
Promoting positive attitudes towards food and encouraging kids to try new healthy foods and to incorporate these healthy foods into their diets will go a long way to improving their overall eating patterns in the long run!