Eight Tips to Help Your Children Have Healthier Eating Habits
Forming healthy eating habits begins when the children are still young.
Children need healthy nourishment to grow in their bodies and minds. As we all known, it is not as always easy to maintain good eating habit. Their favorite food yesterday can become an alien subject for the next day.
You can scratch your head and wonder what happened, but your children’s minds are set not to touch it. As they develop, so are their tastes. Here are eight simple tips to help keep your children have healthier eating habits.
Have a Specific Time for Meals and Snacks
Establishing a regular eating pattern is very important for children. Set a specific time and place for both meals and snacks.
Naturally, their stomachs are smaller, so they need snacks in between meals. Instead of cookies, crackers, or chips, offer them fruits, wholegrain crackers, and cheese.
Offer Nutritious Choices
Pre-select your choices of healthy foods before you offer to your children. For example, offer wholegrain cereal with low-fat milk, top with blueberries, or yogurt with English muffin, and slices of orange. Two choices usually are the best. It presses the children to pick one or another quicker.
Children have their own tastes, and it is good to respect their preferences, but in healthy manners.
Examine Your Own Eating Habits
Children learn by example! If you are snacking on chips, and drinking down soda, you can’t expect your children to grab an apple, and drinking milk. They will do what they see you doing. We are as parents, and also are as role models.
On hectic days, remember those little eyes, ears, and mouths are watching your every move!
Involve Your Child in the Preparation Process
It is fun for children to be involved in the preparation process. Have them set the table, chop up vegetables, or stir the mixture for pancake will make it more exciting for them to eat. You can also use this bonding time to teach colors, shapes, textures, measurements, and many other areas including coordination.
Avoid Using Food to Bribe
Avoid using foods to comfort your children, and do not use food to bribe your children to carry out chores such as picking up toys or cleaning their rooms. This should include times when they skin their knees, and when they are sad.
Make your message clear: foods are to eat when hungry!
In With the Good, Out With the Bad
Gradually introduce and add healthy foods over time. Offer apple sauce with a dash of cinnamon for dessert instead of a piece of pie. Substitute soda with homemade lemonade, with light on sugar, or a glass of milk, or fruit juice.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ages 1 to 6 drink no more than 4 to 6 ounces of fruit juice a day to prevent obesity.
Keep only healthy foods in your house delicacy forcing everyone to eat healthier!
Give It Another Try
Many children are not willing to test out new food, or even rejected the food that they used to love last week. Offer it again, and again. If they see you sample that particular food, they might change their minds eventually.
Take it slow, and allow your children to just have a taste the first time, without coercion.
Avoid Forcing Your Children to Clean Their Plates
For as long as I can remember, I was told to clean my plate, and was not allowed to have food left on it. That is not advised anymore for many reasons! Children need fewer calories, and can only handle smaller portions than adult. They will eat just about enough of what they need.
To avoid this problem, serve them less food on their plate, and if they want more, they can have more.
Forming a good and healthy eating habit early in children will help them make better choices when they grow up.
Liked it
Gerlaine | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
I am Gerlaine Reliford and I approve this message! Lol!
CHAN LEE PENG | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Sister, thanks for your labor to prepare this article. Take care!
valli | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Great tips. Thanks for sharing.
lanne | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Excellent article!! My friends used to all be jealous because my kids liked EVERYTHING. When they asked why I was so lucky and their kids were so picky, I wish that I had have had this article to show them what they were doing wrong. Mine were always fed whatever we were eating (no junk) instead of bland baby food. It seems to have given them nicely developed palates: both of my daughters work in the food industry and the youngest just started an apprenticeship to become a chef. VERY good information.
swapna | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
informative article….
Lauren | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Great information here. It is so important to teach your children about a healthy diet before they get older. That way, their habits will be adabted when they get older.
papaleng | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
a very nice and informative article. I’ll tell my daughter to view this one. thanks for sharing, your labor is well appreciated.
Tommy Fassbender | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Wonderful tips, especially as child and adult obesity is on the rise.
Josey | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
I love it. Great tips for parents! Out of my three children, I have one very picky eater and I found that if I only offer healthy stuff in my house that eventually he will get hungry and eat it!
Moses Ingram | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Some great tips here. Thank you.
goodselfme | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Great tips and sound advice. WEll done!
Christine amsay | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Some very useful tips. I must pass them on to my son to use with my little grandson
neelam pandey | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
very nice tips…gud tips
Darlene McFarlane | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Very helpful tips, BC. Makes good sense.
Hannahgirl | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Most of a child’s eating habits stem from the parents at earlier stages in their young lives. Food shouldn’t be used as a punishment or reward and should never be forced down a child’s mouth when they truly aren’t hungry. I agree with your tips. Well written article.
Memoryz | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Very nice and healthy tips!
Chris Stonecipher | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Great healthy tips. My son is 13 years old and just now likes soda, but he chooses water, milk or juice. My parents also told me to clean my plate.
thestickman | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Sweet article.
-I am so lucky! First off, I grew up on a farm so we had garden vegetables. Mom canned fruits & veggies, froze many too.
We had hunting season so there was venison, and we raised a few pigs and beef, chickens, etc. We ate well, and good stuff. I love food and have NO ‘dislikes’.
My wife when she was a child, says that she was made to ‘…sit at the table until you eat ALL your food’ and often this ‘battle’ would end in tears, uneaten food and early bedtime.
She has certain ‘food phobias’ and quantitative dislikes now as an adult.
Our son, he’s like me. He eats ANYTHING I prepare for him… boiled/steamed broccoli, sweet potatoes, even fried calves liver right out of the fry-pan!
At his JK (Junior Kindergarten), they offer a ‘lite snack’ of things like cucumber, apple, crackers, etc. He often only eats a piece or two, never really ‘fills up’. I explained to his teacher to not worry. I feed him oatmeal with stewed vegetables, real apple or pear boiled & mashed into same, usually a hard-boiled egg too.. I will PICK my battles, -my child eats liver, sweet potato and broccoli at home so I don’t worry that he only nibbles on a cracker or two at snack-time in school…
He’s almost 4 years old, -drinks water or milk. Absolutely REFUSES any ‘colored’ drink (I am thinking soda, etc.) but sadly, this includes fruit drinks like orange-juice, apple juice, etc. Maybe that is good, though, as these DO have sugars in them and the ‘next step’ would be soda pop.
My little boy can sure hide the groceries I tell ya! And it’s mostly all the GOOD STUFF.
-thestickman
Janie Wallace | Oct 3, 2008 | Reply
Great job. Very honest and informative.
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
Very well-written and informative. Nice pictures too, thanks a lot BC.
ditto349 | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
Thank you for this article. It complimented with the article I just wrote titled” Don’t Panic! Crucial Health Alert Everyone Should Be Aware By Now”. Your ideas hit the nail right on the head.
Good post!
nobert soloria bermosa | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
nice tips,all these really work well,
C. Jordan | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
Great aricle you served up.
Denny Lyon | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
These photos chosen are like eye candy without the garbage “nutrients”! What a great job these photos did to tell the info everyone knows but many don’t want to follow – the photos sweeten the info and now maybe more folks will reevaluate and pay closer attention!
Brings back childhood memories of feeding the (to me as least) the disgusting rare meat on my plate to the family dog I hid well concealed under the dining table! Laddie was a Shetland sheep dog and was smart enough to know a good thing when it was handed to him. I was always a proactive kid… my parents would have been horrified if they ever knew! grin, shhh, don’t anyone tell on me after all this time…
Anne Lyken-Garner | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
This is really helful to me, as I have 2 very fussy daughters. I’ve started to get them to help in the preparation, so it’s a wait and see situation now…
Ruby Hawk | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
This is excellent advise for everyone who has children.Remember what they eat is in our hands.
gabbic1219 | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
great advice…i am somewhat a health freak,well i do like dessert thou,i always loved my veggies and fruit ,love milk also i buy 1% sometimes 2% but my baby has an allergy to milk and can only drink soy…which is great 4 u as well! all my kids have pretty good eating habits except my 3 yr old….she hates veggied and it drives me crazy,i give her a kid vitimin and last but not least i never have soda in the house ,it may be in my fridge like i every 3months,lol my kids rarely drink it because of watching me never having it,bottled water is always our first choice but i do love my 2 cups of coffee everyday!great article
Judy Sheldon | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
Absolutely wonderful tips. Thanks so much for sharing. Again, I am going to vote you mother of the year. lol
Take care & God bless.
quiet voice | Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
…Hi BC, with a few more words, this
could be a book on the market for parents.
Great job. Take care.
quiet voice | Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
…Hi BC, with a few more words, this
could be a book on the market for parents.
Great job. Take care.
Alexa Gates | Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
great ideas BC:) I think i’ll forward this one to my aunt she’s having trouble with my cousins
eddiego65 | Oct 6, 2008 | Reply
Great tips! I agree with every point.
Terri Lane | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
A sensible well presented article. Good advice especially for new mums.
C A Johnson | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Great tips, BC. I also thought the pics went along with the article nicely. Great job!
Emily James | Oct 14, 2008 | Reply
I enjoyed reading this article. I am very fussy about offering my children a healthy selection of food and drinks, so i identify with these tips wholely.
Dee Huff | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply
A really good article with sensible and inspiring advice. I was forced to finish all my food when i was small, and still can’t eat certain foods as a result.
Dieter Hentz | Nov 8, 2008 | Reply
very good avice
Brian Daniel Stankich | Nov 13, 2008 | Reply
Beneficial article with points that are true to life. I wonder why some of my kids are pickier eaters than others. But it has been fun to see them expand their taste zones as they get older. Hey, consider editing your article some more before publishing it. There were a number of typos that distracted me significantly including three in the first paragraph.