Beware of the Weekend Diet

By Editorial Staff

Do you stay true to your healthy diet during the week, but then crash and burn when the weekend arrives? If so, you're not alone. The problem is, adults aren't the only ones succumbing to the weekend diet pitfalls – so are our children.

• "Overweight adolescent girls were more likely to eat fruit on weekdays than weekends as were boys.
• "Adolescents consumed more fruit at school than other meals.
• "Weekday dinner was the meal where girls were most likely to consume vegetables and when boys consumed the most vegetables.
• "Fast food consumption was most likely for girls at dinner on the weekend, whereas fast food intake for boys increased overall on the weekend.
• "Intake of 'other junk' peaked during school hours for girls and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption increased for boys on the weekend."

Parents, teachers and other role models need to step forward and not only teach healthy eating behaviors to children, but go the extra mile by modeling them. After all, what motivation does a child have to eat vegetables and whole grains if they're watching you scarf down a double cheeseburger with fries? Work with your doctor to develop a healthy meal plan for the whole family that provides balanced nutrition seven days a week.