10 simple tips to help you raise kids who develop healthy eating habits!
There are many families whose children do not have the best eating habits. It cannot be concluded that parents are bad, as many good parents allow their children to eat potato chips instead of Brussel sprouts. It is a natural instinct of parents to give children the food they like, and also feel worried when they don’t eat the food in front of them. Eating anything good or bad is just a habit, and habits can be taught and also changed. Let us find out 10 ways to set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating thus bringing about health benefits with them.
Start Early
There are many families whose children do not have the best eating habits. It cannot be concluded that parents are bad, as many good parents allow their children to eat potato chips instead of Brussel sprouts. It is a natural instinct of parents to give children the food they like, and also feel worried when they don’t eat the food in front of them. Eating anything good or bad is just a habit, and habits can be taught and also changed. Let us find out 10 ways to set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating thus bringing about health benefits with them.
Serve Healthy Food
It is amazing to know how good or bad habits babies or toddlers learn, tends to last for a lifetime. A baby whose parents make him finish a bottle of feed, may lose his ability to listen to his hunger cues (the reason why breastfeeding helps prevent obesity). A toddler who gets lots of fruits and vegetables on her plate comes to think of them as normal, yummy food- as opposed to foods she is being forced to eat.
Don’t Be A Short Order Cook
Although this might sound obvious, there are many families who do not routinely serve fruits and vegetables, or other healthy foods- or in case they do, they leave them off the children’s plate, because they do not like them. But it is very important to serve them and leave them on the plate, or even insist that they have at least a bite or two. It might take a few tries before the children realise that broccoli isn’t that bad at all.
Set A Schedule And Stick To It
Once your child is eating meals(maybe by the end of one year), make a schedule of thee healthy meals and two healthy snacks per day, snacks being given between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. If your child does not eat in the first 20 minutes food is being served, take it away, and do not feed them until the next scheduled meal or snack time. After a while, your child will figure out that if they don’t eat, they will be hungry. The important analogy to this is the next….
Limit Snacking
Apart from the ‘Okay’ snacks, your child should not be hunting through the cabinet or refrigerator. If they do so, then they will not have an appetite for meals.
Watch The Drinks
Do remember that even a single cup of juice can cut a child’s appetite. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
Think About What You Buy
Stock your home with healthy stuff always. If there isn’t junk food in the house, it’s a lot harder to eat it. Same is the case with soda and sweets.
Set An Example
Kids always pay a lot more attention to what we do than what we say, so if you don’t eat healthy food, they think why can’t they do the same.
Have Family Dinners
Family dinners are no doubt the best way to set an example, but also make sure that they eat good food. Such dinners together are good for family relationships and also for child development, thus keeping teens out of trouble.
Shop And Cook Together
If you can, grow food together too! Make healthy eating a fun, shared experience.
Every child and every family is different. Be sure to talk to your doctor if your child has any health problems, or your child snacks a lot of chicken nuggets and French fries, in spite of your best efforts. Try some creative approaches in such situations.
