10 Healthy eating habits to share with your Kids| ‘Healthy Eating habits for kids’! | FRU2go

Eating habits formed during childhood stays with you throughout the life and forming healthy eating habits for kids surely takes a lot of time and patience.

Giving healthy choices to kids is surely a great way to start a path of healthy eating.

Take an example of giving an option between a fruit and candy bar, what do you think the child will choose?

And now if the options are changed to fruit and a cheese cracker?

Moral: Kids are more likely to choose healthy if you give healthy food choices!

With a wide variety of packaged and instant foods available in the market, it becomes challenging to keep kids away from those lovely packaged, high calorie-high sugar foods.

Below are some tips to help you encourage healthy eating habits for kids-

• Stock up your kitchen with a variety of nutritious foods. In your meals and snacks, include a variety of grains (especially whole grains), nuts, fruits and vegetables.

• Make gradual changes: Research shows a child needs to be exposed to new food up to 8-10 times, before they start accepting it. So, even if your fussy eater is not willing to try that nutritious bite, keep offering it to them because changes are easier for children to handle when they are made slowly.

• Say ‘No to TV’: Research shows people tend to eat for reasons other than hunger before TV. So, if you want to encourage healthy eating for kids, stop eating in front of TV.

• Plan before going for grocery shopping, so that you buy a balanced stock of foods from all three food groups.

• Go for cooking methods that require little or no fat, such as steaming, boiling, baking or roasting, rather than frying.

• Encourage kids to take smaller bites and chew long. These techniques help children get in touch with the signals their body gives them about hunger and fullness.

• Be a healthy role model: Kids love to copy parents - lead by example and establish your own healthy eating habits.

• Allow your child to tell you when they are full. They will naturally regulate the amount they eat so try not to force them to finish what is on their plate.

• Do not reward with food: Reward foods tend to be the unhealthy, high sugar options. So, avoid rewarding kids with foods.

• Physical activity: Healthy eating and physical activity go hand in hand. Apart from healthy eating for kids, they should be encouraged to indulge in active play for at least 1-2 hours every day.

At the end of it, remember to praise children when they make healthy choices. Avoid being a food police for them. The more you forbid certain foods; the more they will want them. Occasional treats of chips, candy, fruit snack, and ice cream are perfectly ok !

Author: Rohina Chawla