How to Help Children Eat Healthier

Child obesity is becoming a more and more serious problem now, more than ever, and it is vital for you to teach your children proper eating habits. They need to be learned from the youngest of age. Once a kid does get used to eating healthy, these habits stick for a lifetime. And if they do it without a problem at home, they will surely do it not only at school too, but everywhere else as well.

All problems, connected with children's bad eating habits are usually rooted in the household. When a parent rarely prepares homemade dishes, but rather buys takeaway meals from fast food franchises, this is when kids start developing these ill eating habits. It's a proven fact, that children are constantly exposed to all sorts of junk food, but it is their parents duty to keep their sons and daughters away from them and to help them lead a healthy diet. Here are a couple of useful tricks on how to do so.

1.Guide the choice of food, don't dictate it
Have a big variety of healthy foods at home. Without any junk food in the house, there is simply no way the kids could consume such. Leave everything that is not healthy in the store.

2.Provide healthy alternatives
It is vital that you have alternatives to all the products that are considered not healthy to you and your family. For example, kids are known for craving sweets almost constantly. There is a way of getting round this problem - fruits. Always have lots of different fruits in store - apples, grapes, peaches, etc. A different option would be for you to make healthy homemade snacks, for example, such made of oats, honey and various dried fruits.

3.Encourage the kids to eat slowly
Fast eating could be the cause of many health disorders. Plus, fullness and hunger can be better detected when one eats slowly. And that is how the second serving could be avoided. You can achieve that by eating together as a family as often as possible and making the meals a pleasant experience? How can this help? Well, one thing is for sure, your children won't be in a hurry to finish their dish as fast as possible and leave the table.

4.Involve kids in the shopping and cooking process
Shopping for healthy foods together will teach your children a thing or two, and when they are already old enough to go to the store on their own, they will know how to do proper shopping. Same goes for the cooking. Cooking healthy meals together is not only quality time spent together, but also something like lessons for the future when your son/daughter will have to cook on his/her own.

5.Do not allow eating meals or snacks in front of the TV
Watching TV while eating can be really distracting in the sense that the eating becomes the secondary action, and one does not pay attention the whether s/he is full. This often leads to overeating.

6.Prepare your child's school meals
Having control in the household is relatively easy, but what happens when the kids are out of sight?
The school cafeteria offers a decent amount of junk food to be distressed about. And if you would like your son or daughter to stay away from them, prepare him/her tasty meals to take to school.


7.Make the change "from the inside"
Instead of forcing any changes upon your child, rather make him/her realize the necessity of these changes. Explain, in a calm manner, that healthy eating is the way to a long and healthy life.

The change for good happens slowly, especially when it comes to children. This is why you will need to be as patient as possible.

The post has been submitted by : Acton ManAndVan