Children are extremely
impressionable. So, if you want to teach them good eating habits, it is
important that you start this at early age. With unhealthy junk food becoming
so popular among kids, teaching good eating habits to children is of prime
importance. This would not only ensure that your child stays fit and healthy
but would also help him grow into an active individual.
While it is
important to ensure that children eat healthy food, force feeding is definitely
not going to help. Since eating is an activity that your child needs to engage
in throughout his life, teach him these habits in a fun way.
So, how do you
inculcate good eating habits in your child? Well, take a look:
- Cook a healthy meal using low fat products and incorporate whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables in the daily diet.
- Cut down on junk food consumption in your house. This rule is applicable to you and your spouse too.
- Teach your child healthy snacking habits. Introduce healthy snacks like cut fruits, vegetables and nuts for those intermittent hunger pangs between the meals.
- In case your child is a fussy eater, you might find it hard to feed him fruits and vegetables. Browse for healthy recipes online that help you cook nutritious yet delicious food for kids.
- Children need daily nutrition supplements for proper growth and development. Your child’s doctor would be able to guide you as to the little one’s daily requirement of nutrition. However, make sure that your child’s diet consists of all essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, fiber and vitamins. Find out the nutritional values of various food items. For example: Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils are rich in Vitamins whereas dairy products and eggs are rich in calcium. Green vegetables are a rich source of iron. Raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains are rich in fiber.
- However, do not deprive child of goodies like biscuits and cookies. Treat them to these in moderation. Similarly, it is okay to cheat on the diet once a week and have some junk food. But overdoing it could be disastrous for the child’s health.
- Drinking enough water aids in digestion. So, make sure your child drinks at least 8 glasses of water a day.
- Steer clear of aerated and caffeinated drinks as these are not good for the children. Instead, give them fresh fruit juices and lemonades prepared at home. These are a much healthier option. However, it should be noted that juices not be used as a substitute for water.
- Stick to the meal charts that the doctors provide you and make sure that your child does not overeat. Some mothers have a habit of forcing their child to eat more even in spite of the child’s refusal. This is a very unhealthy habit and could be a cause of obesity in your little one.
- Lead by example. If you want your child to learn good eating habits, it is important that you too eat a healthy and well balanced diet.
- It is okay for the kids to be treated to sugary treats like cakes, pastries, chocolates etc once in a while. However, keep a check on these portions. Don’t let your child gorge on these too much.
- As the famous saying goes, a family that eats together stays together. So, it is crucial that you teach your little one to eat along with the other family members. For children who are too small, placing a high chair would help to let them eat comfortably. You can easily find such chairs online on various websites. In case, you want to try it out www.kinderent.com offers such chairs on rent.
- Chewing the food properly is extremely important and make sure that your child learns this early on.
- Make meal times fun for your little one with some meaningful conversation. However, do let the child know that talking with food in the mouth is considered to be a bad habit.
- Watching television or reading books during the mealtimes is not a good habit as doctors believe you tend to eat more while doing so. This holds true for children as well. So, make sure that you have the meals at the dining table.
- Do not let your child eat his food while lying down or standing. A meal is best enjoyed when eaten while sitting down. To inculcate this habit in your child, teach him to eat his meals sitting on a table. Use a high chair for your toddler and as the child grows introduce a bigger chair until he is ready to sit on the normal dining chair.
Habits that are
inculcated in your child at an early age would stay with him forever. So as
soon as your child is able to sit upright and eat solid food, start teaching
him good eating habits. Don’t expect him to be perfect from the word go. You
might have to repeat things a number of times for your child to pick these up.
So, keep your cool and persevere till your child learns healthy eating habits.
References
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