Helping Children Develop Good Eating Habits

Healthy eating habits can help children create a strong base for living a healthy life ahead. Read on to find some tips for helping children develop good eating habits.Healthy eating in kids can be promoted very early in life. Thus, parents are constantly looking for new and creative ways to present healthy dishes to their children. Nutrition is the most important component in a child’s diet which helps them to grow stronger and healthier. Bad eating habits, once established, can be difficult to change. A child’s eating habits are cemented early in life. Therefore, let her enjoy a comfortable relationship with food. It is important to establish the need of nutrition in early age through a wholesome and balanced diet. In this articleHealthy Family MealtimesHave a Strict Mealtime ScheduleAvoid Buying Unhealthy Food in BulkWater is Important Physical Activity and ExerciseEat Healthy at School1. Healthy Family MealtimesSet a good example. Mealtimes should be pleasant and conversational, so do not argue at the dinner table. Distractions such as the television and phone should also be completely avoided. Young children love to copy their parents, so take advantage of this by making healthy eating choices in front of them. They will notice your efforts and they too will start eating right and being physically active. Encourage your child to chew slowly to detect hunger and fullness, preventing overeating. You can also involve your child in shopping and trying out new healthy foods together.2. Have a Strict Mealtime ScheduleConsistency is the key. Have your meals at the same time every day. A regular mealtime and snack schedule will prevent a child’s continuous munching on snacks. Most children require three meals and one or two snacks a day. Do not force her to finish her meal when she is sometimes not hungry. Instead, give her apples, carrots or yoghurt. Make sure she eats her next meal properly.3. Avoid Buying Unhealthy Food in BulkChildren love the taste of chips, ice cream and fries. When they see tasty albeit unhealthy food being bought in large quantities, they will be tempted to munch on them. Buy the smallest amount of “junk food”. Store any such food away from the child’s sight and reach. As a better solution, prepare a variety of healthy snacks with fruits, vegetables, whole grains or dairy products. These mealtimes should be spaced around the day so that they do not interfere with your child’s appetite.4. Water is ImportantMake your child drink adequate amount of water every day. Encourage them to keep a water bottle handy even if they are at home. Substitute unhealthy soft drinks and sodas for milk. Give your child fresh homemade fruit and vegetable milkshakes and juices. Tell your child about calories in unhealthy drinks which cause obesity and heart problems in later life. Explain to your child how water helps in cleansing out toxins present in our body and keeping us healthy.5. Physical Activity and ExerciseLimit the use of television and video games. Let your child experiment with different physical activities that will help them in maintaining a healthy appetite and weight and to fight off diseases. They usually love riding bicycles or just playing with friends. Get the family involved in taking walks, bicycle-riding, swimming, gardening or just outdoor sports. A sedentary lifestyle and continuous unhealthy snacking increases the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. When exercising with family, everyone stays healthy and the child learns a good habit.6. Eat Healthy at SchoolStart your child’s day with a good, healthy breakfast which will keep up your child’s energy levels and improve her school performance. For lunch, pack her lunchbox with healthy options such as whole grain vegetable sandwiches or home-style roti-sabzi. Fruits could be a good snack. Avoid processed and sugary foods for lunch. Encourage them to avoid spending money on ice creams and sodas and saving it for a birthday gift.A child’s eating patterns are determined early in life, therefore exposure to healthy eating is essential. Parents should make mealtimes a happy occasion by trying out new foods and allowing free-flow of communication. Children should be allowed to experiment with different foods and see which she enjoys the most. Eating healthy will not only help your child to stay healthy but also to prevent subsequent eating disorders, health and development disorders.How to help children develop good eating habits? What is the importance of helping children develop good eating habits? How to break faulty eating habits in children? Discuss here.