How to nurture healthy eating habits in children

Good nutrition is the bedrock of lifelong health, and it begins in infancy. Healthy eating can stabilise children’s energy, sharpen their minds, and even improve their concentration throughout the day

There are simple steps that parents can take to instill healthy eating habits in their kids, without turning meal times into a battle zone. By encouraging healthy eating habits now, you can make a huge impact on your children’s lifelong relationship with food and give them the best opportunity to grow into healthy, confident adults.

Developing healthy eating habits
Children develop a natural preference for the foods they enjoy most; so the challenge is to make the healthy choices appealing. No matter how good your intentions, trying to convince your eight-year-old that an apple is a sweet treat as a cookie is not an easy task. However, you can ensure that your children’s diet is as nutritious and wholesome as possible, even while allowing for some of their favourite treats. The childhood impulse to imitate is strong and it is important for you to act as a role model for your kids. It is no wise to ask your child to eat fruits and vegetables while you enjoy potato chips and soda.

Tips to promote healthy childhood eating

  • Have regular family meals. Knowing dinner is served at approximately the same time every night and that the entire family will be sitting down together is comforting and enhances appetite. Breakfast is another great time for a family meal, especially since kids who eat breakfast tend to do better in school.
  • Cook more meals at home. Eating home-cooked meals is healthier for the whole family and sets a great example for kids about the importance of food. Restaurant meals tend to have more fat, sugar, and salt. Save dining out for special occasions.
  • Get kids involved. Children enjoy helping adults to buy grocery, selecting what goes in their lunch box and preparing dinner. It is also a chance for you to teach them about the nutritional values of different foods and how to read food labels (for older children).
  • Make a variety of healthy snacks available instead of empty calorie snacks. Keep plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grain snacks and healthy beverages (water, milk, pure fruit juice) around and easily accessible for the kids to get used to reaching for healthy snacks instead of empty calorie snacks like soda, chips or cookies.

Breakfast options
What makes a good breakfast for children? One good example would be an egg, a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter, a piece of fruit and a glass of low-fat milk. Whole grain cereals, low fat milk and a piece of fruit are also good choices at breakfast. The protein and fibre from the whole grains will keep your child satisfied until lunch time. Just like with other meals, breakfast should include variety of foods, e.g.

  • Fruits.
  • Vegetables.
  • Whole grains.
  • Proteins (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dry beans, nuts and seeds).

Try to avoid giving your child sugary breakfast cereals, white-flour pancakes and syrup – all of which will leave your child hungry and tired half way through the morning. If your child tends to get hungry in the middle of the morning no matter what, provide a ripe banana, carrot sticks and nuts rather than sugary cookies or white-flour crackers.

After-school snacks
Even with a great breakfast and healthy lunch, a light after-school snack is nice to refuel a kid’s body before play or study time. A handful of nuts and an apple is perfect, or maybe a snack tray of vegetables.

Teaching children about healthy foods
Children who eat healthy foods will be more likely to make better food and nutrition choices as adults. Unfortunately, studies show that the opposite is also true – overweight children tend to become overweight adults.
Teach your children about healthy foods. Here are some tips to help:

  • Read over the different food pyramids and ask your kids to pick out some favourite foods from each food group.
  • Have them help you plan a meal that includes a healthy serving of protein, a vegetable or two and a healthy fruit for dessert.
  • For young kids, make a chart to keep track of all the fruits and vegetables they eat (we need at least five servings of fruits and veggies every day).
  • Snack time can be more fun if you try different recipes and snack ideas together with your kids.

END: BL 44 / 22-23

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