Healthy Eating Meant for Children
Healthy eating intended for children may occasionally miss the target.
As a parent, you may have done all forms of bribery, persuasion, warning or manipulation to your child just to make them eat healthy food. But wouldn’t it be nicer if we did not have to resort to such tactics?
There are seven instant tips to help you attain success with healthy eating.
1. Begin as early as possible. It can be harder to do if you waited longer. The taste buds of children may be ruined by sweet treats and when that happens, it is really hard to get them to eat Brussels sprouts and broccoli. You can opt to choose tip # 4 if you have waited to long ? be firm ? you need to be ready for the negative reaction you may get from your kids that can last for a few days.
2. Store a variety of healthy foods. It keeps them from being attached to a single food or food group. Yes they can have their own favorites, but presenting them with a variety can help convince them to like other food tastes. A piece of warning though, unhealthy food stocked in the house is definitely not included in the plan. Junk foods have to be banned.
3. Mix the food that they like with the food they don’t like. Here is an example: you can try to stir fry onions with zucchini, broccoli, carrots and snow peas rather than having them eat steamed broccoli. Try to slice the veggies into small pieces so they can eat some carrots with zucchini.
4. Be firm! Show them your stiff-love to make your plan succeed. When it is time to eat, tell your children that there is nothing more to eat but the food that you prepared. If you only have healthy food in your house, they will have no other option. As soon as they get really hungry, they will eat whatever food is available.
5. Prevent your kids from entertaining people who will only sabotage your plan. There are just evil people who want to prove that they can succeed luring your child into eating sweets. You may even be amazed that even doctors and dentists do such a thing. Teach your kid the proper way to say “No thank you”. If you have this problem with a relative, tell them bluntly that you will stop visiting them unless they stop.
6. Restrict your child from watching TV commercials. Yes, commercials. These commercials are the source for nutritional education of 95% of the populace. Whenever children watch kiddie shows, they get to see junk foods being advertised as delicious food to eat and it can affect their craving for the right food.
7. Be a good example. This happens to be the most important thing to do. How can you expect your child to stop eating candy and ice cream if you don’t? How will you convince them to eat fish, veggies and whole grains if they see that you don’t eat them as well? While they are still young, they will always look up to you. So be a good role model.
If you have not been a great example, there is no way that you should complain about your child’s bad eating habits, obesity, ADHD and when your child gets sick, you will need to be absent from work.
Get into healthy eating and learn to love yourself more!