Developing Healthy Eating Habits Amongs Children

Developing healthy eating habits in kids should start as soon as they are able to eat solids. It is quite natural for any child to dislike new kind of food right away. Thehealthier they are taught to eat from the beginning will help them to lead a healthier lifestyle for years to come. It may take 10 or more tries getting a child to accept a new food. By teaching your children healthy eating habits, you can keep them at a healthy weight.

Developing healthy eating habits for children

One of the most important approaches to eating is cutting down on fat intake. Consuming the wrong kinds of food is an understandably common problem because of the fact that most of us lead very hectic and fast paced lifestyles. Of course children are always going to be around junk food and it is alright to allow some here and there, but not to often.

Simple ways to accomplish this include eating low-fat or nonfat dairy products, poultry without skin, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free breads and cereals. One of the best ways to teach your children healthy eating habits is to lead by example. Encourage your children to eat their vegetables by eating them yourself. It will encourage your child to follow your footsteps since you are their first teacher.

• Encourage your children to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when eating slowly. Eat your meals together as a family. Make it a routine in your home to eat dinner together every night.

• Avoid restricting sweets or desserts. Fat, salt, sugar have a moderate place in our diet. Don’t curb them completely. Just teach your child to take small portions of it.

• Encourage your children to choose water as their beverage. Just teach your child to take small portions of it. Over consumption of sweetened drinks and sodas has been linked to increased rates of obesity in children.

• With so many children overweight and others with eating disorders it is so important to instill in your children the healthiest eating habits to help with their self esteem. Studies have shown that obesity is an increasingly big problem all over the world and the fact that the next generations are also heavily impacted.

Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals

• Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals. Activities like this are fun time for children. These activities will give you hints about your children’s food preferences, an opportunity to teach your children about nutrition. Both, parents and children learn about each other’s food preferences and enjoy the time spent together. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.

Try not to use food to punish or reward your children. When foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example, telling children that they will get dessert if they eat all of their vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.