Kids are filled with energy and it is necessary that they get good nutritious food to help boost their immune system. Their meals should have a good balance of carbohydrates as energy source and fruits and vegetables as their natural source of vitamins and minerals. Malnutrition, Obesity and type II diabetes are just a few of the diseases that your kids could develop if they do not get the proper nutrition that they need.
It’s quite hard to have healthy diet for kids today, mostly because of television advertisements and the free toys that they can get from fast-food meals. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your kids are eating healthy despite all of these tempting junk foods. Training your child to have a healthy lifestyle at this early age is the best gift you could ever give them. Here are 5 tips that could help you make your kids have a healthy diet.
5 Tips To Achieve Healthy Diet For Kids
Tip #1 – Get rid of all the junk foods in your house and give healthy alternatives
This is the first step in training your kids to step back on those foods that don’t provide them with proper nutrition. If they are used to having ice-cream or chips for snacks, make healthy alternatives. Search online for recipes of healthy snacks such as kale chips or roasted cauliflower. You may also serve them some yogurt parfait with fresh fruits like strawberries or blueberries. It tastes just as good as ice-cream without all the artificial sweeteners and calories. You could also just give them a banana and use peanut butter as a dip. Make sure you have washed and made the fruits and vegetables ready to eat so they can munch on anytime instead of having microwave ready pizzas or chips.
Some kids just love processed meats too much, such as hot-dogs and chicken nuggets. Instead of giving them these foods which are packed with sodium, preservatives and saturated fats, you might as well serve the healthier white meat of chicken or turkey that is also a good source of protein. These are some examples on how to make your kids eat healthier. You just have to be creative.
Tip #2 – Get them involved with food preparation
It is more likely that they would eat foods that they helped make themselves. Make them do simple tasks in the kitchen, like washing the vegetables or stirring the ladle if you’re making a soup. By continuously watching you prepare healthy meals for them, they would eventually develop the habit and practice that will stick as they get older. Ask for their input when you plan for your meals for the week. You should also get them involved in grocery shopping. Let them get used to going straight to the healthy foods section and avoid going to the snacks and junk food aisle.
Tip #3 – Teach them about food nutrition
There are many ways to teach your kids the importance of having nutritious meals. Show them the nutritious and healthy foods from books at the library and let them pick which one they like to borrow. Read it with them and point out all the important facts about food. Show them how you are excited to learn along with them. You may also search for health related cartoons or animated videos online that will definitely catch their attention. Make it more interactive by making some sort of pop quizzes at home that will make them identify healthy foods or make them draw their favorite healthy foods.
Tip #4 – Teach them food proportions
It’s not just the quality of food that is important in a healthy diet, the quantity of the meals also matters. Consider the amount of physical activity that your kids are into when planning the amount of food that you will serve them. Do not feel like you are restricting or depriving your kids of food when you are controlling the amount of serving. Again, this is the stage where you can somehow control their future habits. Practicing this will be a big favor for their future and it is a good way for them to develop self-discipline while eating.
Tip #5 – Practice what you preach
As a parent, you are their role model. They might not do everything that you say, but by being with them for the most of their developmental years, they would definitely cope up with your own habits. There is no other way of making them have a healthy lifestyle than having a healthy lifestyle yourself. Getting all the members of the household involved in eating healthier will definitely make it easier for them to have a healthy diet. Remember, you can always make healthy meals in a fun way.
Raising children is not easy, but it’s worth it. Teaching kids about healthy diet so they can live a healthy life is one of the most important parenting skills you need to have.