HOW TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHIER EATING HABITS

May 15, 2020 /

Written by Caroline Meyer

It is important to develop healthy eating habits in children in order to ensure their well-being. If children are overweight, they are at a higher risk for many health problems. If you are seeking ways to maintain the well-being of your children through eating habits, here is some guidance. 

Ways to Keep Your Children Eating Healthy 

It is essential that your child eats a full breakfast every morning. Skipping breakfast may cause them to feel hungry and tired. This can ultimately lead to them snacking on unhealthier foods during the day. When you’re planning meals for the day, consider how nutritional the food is. It is important to plan meals that are healthy. A great tip is to eat meals with the family to teach your children how to enjoy various different foods. 

Incorporate more fruit and vegetables into daily meals, whether it is canned, frozen or fresh, it is a great source of vitamins and minerals. Allow your child to pick the fruit and vegetables they would like to eat when possible. This will help ensure that they usually eat what you serve. Start cutting out carbonated drinks and snacks that are high in calories. Rather turn to healthier snacks. Although chips, candy or cookies is fine to have on the odd occasion, it’s better to have healthy snacks on hand and to offer it as a substitute to the high fat food options. 

When considering portion sizes for your children, it is best to serve smaller amounts and allow them to ask for a second helping. It may be your responsibility to regulate the type of food your child is consuming, whether it be meals or snacks, however your children should be given the opportunity to choose the amount of food they want to eat. This helps reduce the chances of your child overeating. A great place to start when deciding how much to serve is to dish up one tablespoon for each year of age.  Do this for all components in the meal. This will help you work out a good portion for the age of your child.  

You already know that soft drinks are not healthy choices, but don’t substitute them with fruit juices only. It is fine to serve fruit juices occasionally, but the best option is to offer your children low-fat milk or water. Fast foods are not recommended and should be kept as a minimum. However, on the days when you do get take-out, purchase the healthier options on the menu as far as possible. 

If you’re serving new food in a meal, don’t feel discouraged if the children don’t eat it on the first try. Many kids don’t eat new food until it is served at least10 times, sometimes more. The key is to continue serving it and trying to convince them to give it a try.  Don’t create the image that unhealthy foods are better than vegetables by using dessert as a reward for example. It is important to send the message that all food is equally valuable. Make healthier food easily accessible and keep the rest out of sight, this will make healthy choices easier for your kids by removing the temptation. 

Ideas for Health Snacks 

  • Fresh vegetables, for example: baby carrots, squash, tomato. 
  • Lots of fruit, it can be fresh, frozen or canned.  
  • Dried fruit is also an option, except those portions should be kept small. 
  • Whole wheat crackers with low fat cream cheese or peanut butter. 
  • Low-fat yoghurt containing fruit. 
  • Crackers or low-fat wafers. 

Along with eating healthily, there are other parts of your child’s lifestyle that should be changed if necessary, in order to attain the best results. Consider working along the following lines:

  • Consume at least 5 vegetables and fruits daily; 
  • Minimize screen time, whether it is TV, computer, phones and so forth to a maximum of 2 hours per day; 
  • Add at least 1 hour of physical activities to their daily routine; 
  • Ensure they don’t drink any sugar-sweetened drinks. This includes sports drinks, sodas, 100% fruit juices and similar. Replace it with water or low-fat milk. 

The most essential part of creating a healthy lifestyle or addressing your children’s eating habits, is staying positive. This requires a support system and possibly setting goals to reach. Make sure to reward children when their eating habits improve to help them stay on track. Another aspect of support is showing the child love and affection. Letting them know that they are important and that you care is essential to help them stay healthy. Showing compassion and encouragement, throughout the process of creating healthy eating habits, is the key to maintaining this lifestyle. 

If you put all of these steps into action, your child’s eating habits will become healthy in no time. It is important to keep a strict eating routine in the house for everyone and to help encourage your child by eating healthy too. The whole family will probably feel the results as well. Remember not to completely cut off all junk food, it is okay to occasionally let them have a treat, just don’t let it become a habit.