How To Start Eating Healthy?

Author: Victoria Aly Time for reading: ~3 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

What the child will eat in the break is determined many years before - with eating habits at home.

"You are what you eat" is a cliché. It's a cliché because it's true. It is not uncommon for people to reverse the initial course of chronic diseases and restore their health with the right diet.

For children, of course, this is even more true. The responsibility for preserving their health and providing the ideal conditions for development and growth falls entirely on the elderly.

Eating habits and taste preferences are a pattern of behavior - they are built in the course of upbringing, as well as good manners. In this sense, the future health of grown children is in the hands of their parents from an early age.

With the start of school, the situation acquires a very different character - the child spends more and more time outside the family-controlled environment, in addition, begins to have money and finds himself in situations in which to make independent choices - both behavior and relationships and nutrition. .

What are the problems?

Unhealthy eating in childhood is a cause of disease in adulthood. For the child, however, this "when he grows up" is an abstract concept, so proper nutrition, in addition to logical explanations, must be supported by the power of habit .

Overweight - 10% of children between the ages of 5 and 18 are obese and 20% are overweight.

There is a terrible trend of "rejuvenation" of many chronic diseases and it is no longer uncommon to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (also called late-onset diabetes) or hypertension in children and adolescents. It also affects the development of the musculoskeletal system, as well as the processes of puberty and reproductive health.

Obesity can be found as an independent risk factor in most of the chronic diseases that afflict modern society. In children, weight gain is mainly due to reduced physical activity rather than increased calorie intake.

The school - in practice, the main part of the daily diet does not fall there. For a 20-minute break, how much can a child eat ...?

During school there is one meal and that is the snack - morning or afternoon. The problem with the school is more with the free access to all packed foods. They are colorful, interesting, delicious, easy to eat and fast and harmful, it is known.

It is commented that children at school receive inappropriate snacks - sandwiches with predominant bread and a little "essence", for example. However, such a sandwich is still a better choice in front of a package of beans or chips with their abundance of salt, trans fats and the whole bunch of colors, flavors and preservatives.

The school initiative fruit in school also criticizes . Almost every mother knows how to eat fruit - with exhortation, peeling, in a nice plate and in beautiful pieces. These conditions cannot be covered by the apple or orange left on the bench. In this form, children can rather use them for a still life model in the drawing class.

What is the solution?

The solution is general behavioral and is not limited to nutrition. It is important for the child to create joy and pleasure from physical activity, outdoor games , sports and hobbies. In general, the idea is to reach for the chocolate cake or chips is not the most exciting part of the day.

There is no way for children to live in an incubator and their every step to be monitored, this would cause irreparable damage to their development. It is clear that they will try and probably eat unhealthy foods. It is important not to treat treats as a reward for a job well done, nor to take them away for bad behavior.

About school nutrition - what the state should and should not provide is a matter of another area and we cannot rely on it. Until it is resolved, nothing prevents you from providing suitable food in a box for your child. With one important clarification - when using eggs, meat and dairy products there is a risk of spoiling them in warm weather!

Complex problems sometimes have simple solutions. The solution is to provide proper sleep, study, play, relax and eat. When a child is healthy and calm, goes to bed at the same time every night, wakes up cheerfully in the morning and can observe the ritual of breakfast and so on.

If the child is well fed before school for breakfast or lunch, it is less likely that the child is hungry to run to the waffle maker.

The most important is the example . If mom and dad have eaten unhealthily in front of him all their lives, the big break when the child goes to school cannot be blamed.

How To Start Eating Healthy?

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

What are the problems?

What is the solution?

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