Developing Strong Healthy Eating Habits Starts With You

If your child sees Dad sitting on the couch housing a big bag of Doritos in one sitting, why wouldn’t your child think that’s normal? Children learn by watching what adults do, your example is a priceless teaching tool.

By including a variety of foods on your plate, your child will be exposed to different types of foods and they will have a good idea of what they like or do not like. The earlier on you start introducing a variety, the sooner they will develop their palate.

If you leave something off your plate talk about why, let them know it is okay to not always like certain foods. Another vitally important topic to discuss with your child is their food allergies. If you’re child is allergic to a food, discuss that as much as possible. You want them to learn early on to say, “no, I can’t eat that…it makes me sick”

Healthy eating doesn’t mean you can’t eat snacks. Just avoid junk foods like chips and soda and opt for healthy snacks like carrot sticks and 100% juice. Be careful of the juice, a child under the age of 4 should have only 6oz of juice a day because of the sugar content and they should be getting fruit servings from eating fruit. One of my favorite juices is V-Fusion by V8. They incorporate a full serving of vegetables in one serving of juice. You can find it at the supermarket or even at Target!

Get Them Involved

Spark up in interest in food by shopping together, shopping is part of food preparation and a child can learn a lot in the produce section. I even let her have a say in what should be served for dinner that night. In the kitchen, strap on a kid sized apron and let her mix up the ingredients, crack an egg or toss the salad. Make it fun!

Teach healthy habits like always wash your hands before handling food, and encourage your child to do the same.

Take your time and chew your food, often adults are in a hurry and kids pick up on this habit as well

When having sweets and treats like ice cream talk about moderation and portion sizes and not over eating, count scoops into the bowl. I always ask, ‘do you want one scoop or two”? The answer is always the same, 2! Make sure that you are not comforting your child with food. If they are feeling sad about something, don’t offer to take her to the ice cream store, play a special game together or build a fort, even watch a move. Don’t ever attempt to stop your child from crying with food, then they will learn to associate feeling better with food and that’s a bad habit to start.

Get into the habit of drinking water. If you drink plenty of water each day, your body wil be hydrated and statistics show that it leads to better health. Some children don’t like water but now they have flavored bottles of water, your child will think they are drinking juice!

Eating healthy means healthy habits. As a parent you should have regular meals each day, if you skip lunch your child is likely to do the same and think it’s ok. Skipping meals tends to lead to overeating on the next meal. Your children learn by watching you. You are the only teacher to how the world works. Healthy habits start with you.

Children learn from their parents, caretaker, teachers and the people who primarily take care of them. The first step in teaching healthy eating is to eat healthy yourself on a regular basis. They learn from the people around them, so if you set an example, they will follow your footsteps and lead a healthy lifestyle. Here are some actions in taking steps toward leading a healthy life with your children.

Quick Tips On Feeding Children Healthier

• Pack your own nutritious snacks, drinks and meals for family outings instead of buying while you are out. Your choices will most likely be overpriced soda, candy and whatever junk food is at the counter.

• Plant a garden having your child take part in growing his own vegetables, fruits and herbs. This will encourage him to eat the healthy food he produces as well as give them a sense of pride and accomplishment.

• Offer choices at snack time and talk about them, for example carrot sticks and dip or a bowl full of salty chips, it’s often surprising which they choose when you talk about the goodness and health factors of each option.

• Encourage your child to read the labels. It will show them everything they need to know right there in print. By encouraging your child to read the package on their own, they will soon learn what’s good and what’s not so good for them.

• Explain the health benefits, such as a stronger immune system – the less you’re sick the more fun you get to have doing things you enjoy.

• Ask them to help with meal prep and talk about the ingredients, carrots are good for seeing, garlic is good for immunity, etc…

• Talk about issues. Obesity may be a difficult thing to discuss with your child, but it is a very serious condition that is having an affect on the world today, let them know the risks involved, and sometimes knowing is half the battle!

• Show them charts like the food guide pyramid and let them ask questions, they will have questions and they may even notice what parts of the chart they aren’t getting enough of.

As they get older andmore independant, you won’t be around themas much and you won’t always be there to help them with their decisions. All you can do is teach them the right way to think and what the right decisions are, so when the time comes they’ll be prepared.