Healthy Eating Habits For Children
With the temptations and exposure to junk food all around us, it is getting increasingly difficult to inculcate healthy eating habits in children. This means, we as parents/role models need to work even harder to ensure kids learn the importance of nutrition, fitness and healthy eating. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which you can make this journey a lot more fun and less stressful:
1. Get the children involved in the process of meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking.
2. Be a good role model. Practice what you preach so kids will learn to emulate your habits and respect you for following what you teach them.
3. Appreciate and encourage kids when they make healthy choices so they remain motivated. Do not reward them often with junk food as they may start valuing those foods more than the everyday healthy ones. Similarly do not withhold any food as this will only make them crave those foods more.
4. Treat them to home made and healthy alternatives to junk foods. For eg: baked kale fries instead of packaged potato chips or home baked oatmeal raisin cookie instead of the store bought cookies or cookie dough.
5. Have enough healthy food options for them to choose from. Instead of forcing them to eat one particular kind of food, let them choose between two different nutritious foods so they feel empowered and in control.
6. Encourage them to read food labels without obsessing over the numbers. The goal here is to make them conscious of what they are eating and making an informed decision.
I hope you find these suggestions useful in teaching your kids healthy food habits. What are some fun ways you encourage your child to eat healthy? Share your thoughts and comments with us.
– Preeti Kamath| June 30, 2014