Are You Teaching Your Child To Eat Healthy?
Our quality of life is strongly determined by our state of health. That is why it is so important to train children in the habit of healthy eating and exercising. The key to achieving this is teaching them to make better choices for themselves when it comes to feeding.
As adults, one of the most important duties is to make the decision and responsibility for children to eat properly. The example of parents depends on the vision that children have of foods that are or unhealthy.
Tips to teach them to eat healthy
If you still don’t know how to educate your children to have good nutritional habits, keep these recommendations in mind.
1.- Involve them in the preparation
Involve your children in the process of buying and preparing meals. In this way, they will be more aware of what they eat.
You can give the little ones two healthy options so that they can choose the one they like the most. You can also take them to the kitchen and invite them to prepare the simplest recipes.
2.- Go to the origin of the food
In addition to taking them to the grocery store to check the shelves, go with them to a local farmers market or farm. The experience of gathering the fruits, expressing the milk, and obtaining the food itself will change their perspective. A good tip that you can put into practice is to have a small vegetable garden in your garden.
3.- Prepare healthy snacks
If in your kitchen children find healthy foods in abundance, they will get used to them. Leave at their fingertips what you want them to eat. The best options are fruit pieces, carrots, whole grain crackers, nuts, and water.
4.- Remind them to be well hydrated
In addition to having a solid and balanced diet, it is essential that the body hydrates itself. Eating healthy also means consuming plenty of water and, to complement, fruit and milk shakes.
With little ones, take every opportunity to introduce them to new, equally healthy foods.
5.- Start by modeling good nutritional habits
Your children’s food tastes are highly dependent on yours. They learn your habits from the womb. When you go out to eat as a family, try to choose more balanced options so that they will also do so in the future. The example is the best motivation to have a good lifestyle.
6.- Be constant and persistent
Children need more than one try to try and be attracted to new foods. If you can’t do it the first time, find a different way to prepare or present it. Avoid giving up when the child rejects a meal for the first time, perhaps another time it will be better.
7.- Give them reasonable portions of food
The age of the children must be taken into account before putting a full plate on the table. Don’t insist that your children leave their plate clean when you serve them. Just focus on getting them to eat healthy and enough for their nutritional requirements.
8.- Prepare meals at home
Many foods you buy at the grocery store and chain restaurants are unhealthy. They contain additional amounts of harmful sugars and fats that you can avoid by cooking at home. If you don’t have time to prepare food on a daily basis, you can cook in advance for several days.
9.- Focus on the general diet rather than specific foods
Eating healthy does not mean that kids can never eat a hamburger or a hot dog. What matters is that the nutritional base is adequate and that a higher percentage of healthy food is consumed. A dessert or a sweet can also be included in the meal plan.
Take care of your health and that of your children and help them become responsible for their own choices. You will give them the necessary bases, but they must be the ones who take care of their health in the future.
