How To Help Children Eat Right

Nia Rouseberg Author: Nia Rouseberg Time for reading: ~6 minutes Last Updated: November 13, 2022
How To Help Children Eat Right

Today, teaching kids to eat healthy is more than just encouraging them to eat a portion of Brussels sprouts. Healthy food will help replenish children's energy reserves, sharpen the mind and "level" the emotional state. By loving fruits and vegetables at a young age, children will continue to develop these food preferences, which will help reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease

Today, teaching kids to eat healthy is more than just encouraging them to eat a portion of Brussels sprouts. Studies show that many children often skip breakfast, which leads directly to a decrease in the amount of nutrients received during the day. In addition, more and more often children replace active recreation with sitting at the computer with a pack of chips in their hands.

Healthy food will help replenish children's energy reserves, sharpen the mind and "level" the emotional state. While instilling healthy eating skills in your child may seem impossible due to peer pressure and television commercials for junk food, there are some steps parents can take to help them do so without turning mealtimes into a battleground.

 

Show all the variety of products

By developing a love of fruits and vegetables at a young age, children will continue to develop these food preferences, which will help reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer later in life. Little picky eaters go through a completely natural stage of development, exercising control over everything around them and expressing distrust of strangers. So, instead of forcing your little one to try something new and unfamiliar to her, try the following:

  • Offer a new portion of food only when the child is hungry.
  • Offer only one new product per meal.
  • Combine new foods with favorite foods to make it easier for your child to accept them.
  • More positive: turn the meal into a game in which the child can become, for example, a famous chef who can give his opinion about the dish he had to taste.
  • Go shopping with your children: let them see a variety of fruits and vegetables and choose something new for themselves that they would like to try.

Lead a healthy lifestyle yourself: children will always imitate the behavior of adults, so it is necessary that your behavior is the right example for them. Let's face it, we can't ask our children to eat vegetables and fruits if we ourselves insist on chips and soda.

 

How to convince a child to eat more vegetables and fruits

Here are some fun ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your little one's  diet : offer your child a bright fruit smoothie as a snack between main meals, add vegetables or fruit to baked goods - pumpkin bread, blueberry muffins, etc. And the attractive appearance of the dish will increase the child's desire to taste it. For example, you can create an edible collage: take broccoli for the tree, tomatoes and beets for the flowers, cauliflower and carrots for the clouds and the sun. Enjoy your masterpiece!

 

Limit sugary foods and drinks

A small amount of sugar added to foods that themselves contain essential nutrients will do no harm. On the contrary, a spoonful of sugar added to whole grain porridge will improve its taste and increase the child's desire to eat it. However, it's a different story with the sugary sodas — rich in calories, not nutrients — that kids love so much. Therefore, limiting sugar in children's diet is one of the most difficult challenges for parents. Don't be tempted to ban candy completely right away, as such a taboo will only encourage children to overeat sweets whenever they get the chance. Transition to a healthy dietshould not be difficult for little sweet tooths: if they cannot refuse, for example, ice cream, then freeze a banana cut into pieces, and then beat it in a blender with the addition of cocoa or natural chocolate - in this way, the child will get the desired ice cream, and you - peace of mind for her health. Try giving your favorite sweet recipes a second chance — many dishes taste just as good with less sugar. However, try to limit the consumption of semi-finished products such as pastries and cakes, as they cause spikes in blood sugar levels, which, as a result, will lead to rapid fatigue and loss of energy in the child.

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Fat control (PREMIUM)

Fats, of course, must be present in the child's diet . They are necessary for the construction of cell membranes, the synthesis of some hormones, and also contribute to the assimilation of fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K, vitamins of group D). Therefore, fats participate in the prevention of many diseases — for example, rickets, impaired vision, etc. In general, fats can be divided into saturated (solid at room temperature) and unsaturated (liquid). Both groups are important and are present in the daily diet of children : solid fats are mainly of animal origin, and liquid fats are of vegetable origin. Liquid fats are considered easier for the body to absorb, so oils should be preferred in the child's diet. Although a low fat intake is important for a healthy diet, many children today are overindulging in fatty foods, in particular chips and crackers, in which up to 50% of the total fat can be chemically modified (so-called trans fats) and are even harmful to body of an adult. It is known that trans fats can provoke the development of some oncological diseases. Sources of saturated fats and cholesterol in the child's diet are also fatty types of cheese and meat, in particular, when it is fried in a large amount of oil. Therefore, it is better to offer children fermented milk products with a low fat content, choose low-fat varieties of meat and, of course, do not forget that the benefits of the product also depend on the way it is prepared.

Move towards the goal together (PREMIUM)

It is very important that the child's associations with eating are positive. Therefore, sit at the table with the whole family: the child's habit of sitting at the table at approximately the same time, when all family members gather together, will cause a feeling of comfort and contribute to an increase in appetite. If the child shows a desire to help you prepare food, then do not deny him the opportunity to spend time together, especially since the dish, to which he will put his own efforts, will always taste better. And in your free time, it is advisable to involve the little one in active leisure: do morning gymnastics together with the children, go for walks, organize small sports competitions - this will help not only to maintain a normal weight of the child, but also to create your own family traditions.

 

Even for us adults, it is not always easy to switch to a healthy diet , what can we say about children? On their own, they are unlikely to take up re-reading scientific lectures about the benefits of natural products for the body and draw some conclusions, but they don't need it, because they are children who live by emotions and impressions. That is why one of the main tasks of parents is to make healthy products attractive to children, due to the variety of the diet, the beautiful appearance of the prepared dishes, the creation of game situations and, of course, with the help of their own example of a healthy lifestyle .

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