Protect Them While They're Young: Shaping A Healthy Eating Lifestyle For Your Children
Guest Post by: Katie Pierce
As a parent, you have a unique opportunity to shape the future of your child. The influence you have on them during their childhood will have a lasting impact on the choices your children make when they grow older and become adults. This is especially true when it comes to diet and nutrition, which can affect everything from their physical health to their mental well-being. While many parents are aware of this, they often struggle to find a way to effectively instill healthy eating habits in their children.
How do you establish healthy eating habits for children?
When it comes to establishing healthy eating habits for kids, the key is to start early. Children are learning about healthy eating habits at a very young age. The earlier a child learns, the more likely they are to make healthy food choices later in life. This makes it crucial that you take time to teach them the importance of eating healthy as well as teach them how to make healthy food choices. The earlier you do, the better off they'll be.
What are some ways to promote healthy eating in early childhood?
Promoting healthy eating in early childhood is about more than just feeding children healthy food. It's also about engaging, educating, and involving children in the entire process of choosing, preparing, and eating healthy food. Fortunately, there are many ways to instill healthy eating habits in children from a young age, and below are a handful of the best ways to do so.
Be a good role model.
Children learn by watching their role models and are especially likely to model their behavior after those they look up to. If you want your children to eat healthily, then it's important for you to set an example by eating a balanced diet yourself. Especially since toddlers tend to look up to their parents, becoming a mother or father who eats healthily and makes good food choices can greatly influence your children's eating habits in a positive way.
A good role model can encourage healthy eating habits early on since children learn through repetition. So the more often they are exposed to healthy eating habits, the more likely they are to adopt them as part of their lifestyle and the more likely they are to continue those habits throughout their lives.
Give them options.
A common mistake that parents make is to provide limited food choices for their children. Children should be allowed to choose their own meals, as long as they have access to healthy foods from each food group and are aware of what they're eating. They will eat better, and be more satisfied if they make the choice of what to eat.
It's not just about giving your kid a plate of broccoli but also making sure he or she knows what it is and how it tastes so they can decide if they want some more or not.
It's also important to allow them to choose from a variety of options, even if they make bad choices at first. The more they practice, the better they'll get at making the right decisions. Even if a child is choosy about his or her food, setting small goals and encouraging children to try new things can help them overcome picky eating and develop a more positive attitude towards food.
Have them eat veggies first.
Have children eat their veggies first and then be free to eat anything else. This helps them to get their veggies in first, and they'll be less likely to make up for it later. It also helps let them know that vegetables and fruits are among the most important parts of their meal and not just a side dish that can be skipped over.
Prioritizing healthy food first isn't just about ensuring toddlers' daily dose of spinach, it's also about developing a sense of discipline and responsibility in their eating habits and overall development. Once they have established a relationship with vegetables, kids may be more willing to experiment with a wider range of colorful foods.
Let them help cook the meals.
Let your children help you cook, even if it's just washing vegetables or stirring the pot. By letting them participate in the process, you'll be able to get their input on what they like and don't like about certain foods. This will also help them feel more connected to their meals and encourage them to eat healthier foods that they helped prepare themselves.
Sharing the experience of cooking with your children can even be a great way to educate them about the importance of healthy foods and what goes into making the food they eat. Plus, cooking can be the perfect bonding activity, especially over something like a good omelette cup recipe that is healthy and can help cultivate a good relationship with food and family.
Eat as a family more often.
Regular family meals are a great way to develop healthy eating habits for your children. Eating together allows you to control portion sizes and ensure your kids get proper nutrition. It also gives you an opportunity to talk about the food you’re eating, why it’s important to eat healthily, and how it can affect your health. The more often your family eats together, the more likely your kids are to develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Don't use food as an incentive or punishment.
If you want your child to develop healthy eating habits, don't use food as an incentive or punishment. Children eat for many reasons besides hunger, and if you use food as a reward or punishment, you'll send mixed messages about eating. Instead, use praise and encouragement to encourage your child to eat healthy foods. Try to make the goal of eating food, in general, to nurse and fuel the body and not to reward or punish behavior.
Limit food portions but do not forbid.
Children need to learn that they have the power and can decide what to eat without feeling deprived or restricted. By limiting portions, your child will start listening to his own body and understand how much he really needs to eat. The idea is for your child to develop an intuitive sense of when he’s full, but not stuffed. This can be achieved by offering smaller portions of food and encouraging your child to eat slowly and chew thoroughly.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things you can do for your child is to instill healthy eating habits at a young age. Start them on the road to a life of good health by modeling healthy eating and encouraging them to explore new foods. Don’t get discouraged if your child doesn’t eat well right away. It can take time to change established habits, but with a little patience and perseverance, you’ll be well on your way to establishing healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.