Whether it is a hug or a phrase, let your children know you
notice their efforts. Food Isn't A Reward While you should be
positive, you shouldn't celebrate goals with a trip to the ice
cream store. "Providing food based on performance or behavior
connects food to mood. This practice can encourage children to
eat treats even when they are not hungry and can instill
lifetime habits of rewarding or comforting themselves with food
behaviors associated with unhealthy eating or obesity,"
according to teaching materials for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
School in North Carolina. The point of setting diet goals is to
change a child's behavior and attitude toward food, so take the
reward's focus off food, too. "Try going to the movies or taking
a special outing," Cohen said. Some families create a chart to
map goals, then at certain points along the way the rewards are
granted. "A trip to favorite place ... or something they value
but don't get a chance to do often. Be creative," suggests
HealthyEatingAdvisor.com. Rewards