I often come across parents who are worried about their kids eating habits; they usually think these habits are peculiar to their kids but in truth, they’re not. It just has to do with how you manage the habit when it starts rearing its head.
Every parent wants their kid to have a healthy eating habit, and that’s what we are going to discuss today. First of all, what does it mean to eat healthily?
Healthy eating simply means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrition is important for everyone. Some say Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods from all food groups and choosing fewer foods that have lots of fats and sugar. This does not mean that you cannot treat your child to desserts or other sweets sometimes.
It is as important to teach your children healthy eating habits, as it is for you to adopt these behaviours yourself; as we know, children emulate a lot of adult habits from their parents and guardians. By modelling these healthy eating habits and teaching your kids the same, you can help your children maintain normal growth and a healthy weight. It is also important to note that unlike other children habits such as picking their nose or pulling their hair, which they often grow out of, eating habits do not go away so easily with maturity. The eating habits your children pick up when they are young will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle when they are adults.
To help us better understand and help our children adapt and maintain Healthy Eating Habits, I have gone ahead to pick out a few tips from Renee A. Alli, MD, a practising Pediatrics doctor and an expert medical reviewer of content on WebMD. She writes:
By teaching your children healthy eating habits, and modelling these behaviours in yourself, you can help your children maintain a healthy weight and normal growth. Your child’s health care provider can evaluate your child’s weight and growth and let you know if your child needs to lose or gain weight or if any dietary changes need to be made.
Some of the most important aspects of healthy eating are portion control and cutting down on how much fat and sugar your child eats or drinks. Simple ways to reduce fat intake in your child’s diet and promote a healthy weight include serving:
- Low-fat or nonfat dairy products
- Poultry without skin
- Lean cuts of meats
- Whole grain bread and cereals
- Healthy snacks such as fruit and veggies
Also, reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened drinks and salt in your child’s diet.
If you are unsure about how to select and prepare a variety of foods for your family, consult a registered dietitian for nutrition counselling.
It is important that you do not place your overweight child(ren) on a restrictive diet. Children should never be placed on a restrictive diet to lose weight unless a doctor supervises one for medical reasons.
Other approaches parents can take to develop healthy eating habits in their children include:
- Guide your family’s choices rather than dictate foods. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available in the house. This practice will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices. Leave the unhealthy choices like chips, soda, and juice at the grocery store. Serve water with meals.
- Encourage your children to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when they eat slowly. Before offering a second helping or serving, ask your child to wait at least 15 minutes to see if they are truly still hungry. This will give the brain time to register fullness. Also, that second helping should be much smaller than the first.
- Eat meals together as a family as often as possible. Try to make mealtimes pleasant with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.
- Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals. These activities will give you hints about your children’s food preferences, an opportunity to teach your children about nutrition, and provide your kids with a feeling of accomplishment. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.
- Plan for snacks. Continuous snacking may lead to overeating, but snacks that are planned at specific times during the day can be part of a nutritious diet, without spoiling a child’s appetite at meal times. You should make snacks as nutritious as possible, without depriving your children of occasional chips or cookies, especially at parties or other social events.
- Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV. Try to eat only in designated areas of your home, such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness, and may lead to overeating.
- Encourage your children to drink more water. Overconsumption of sweetened drinks and sodas has been linked to increased rates of obesity in children.
- Try not to use food to punish or reward your children. Withholding food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they will not get enough food. For example, sending children to bed without any dinner may cause them to worry that they will go hungry. As a result, children may try to eat whenever they get a chance. Similarly, when foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example, telling children that they will get dessert if they eat all of their vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.
- Make sure your children’s meals outside the home are balanced. Find out more about their school lunch program, or pack their lunch to include a variety of foods. Also, select healthier items when dining at restaurants.
- Pay attention to portion size and ingredients. Read food labels and limit foods with trans-fat. Also, make sure you serve the appropriate portion as indicated on the label.
Finally, do not forget that children learn a lot by watching adults, and so, you have to lead by example. Adopt a healthy eating habit and set good examples.
