Teaching your child to eat healthy can be a daunting task. While child nutrition is a crucial part of growth and development, ensuring that your child gets all the necessary nutrients is another aspect.
Here’s what you can do. We have listed down some of the tips which can help you imbibe the habit of healthy eating in your child. A quick read through this article will help you sail smoothly when it comes to fulfilling the food and nutritional requirements of your child.
Don’t make it a rule, make it a routine:
Child nutrition is crucial. Hence, ensure that healthy foods are the default ingredients in your family’s meals. The best way to go about feeding your child healthy foods is by letting them pick nutritious and tasty food options. You can also take them to the grocery store or farmers’ market. Allow them to select veggies and fruits of their choice. Then, involve them in the cooking process too. Younger children can help you with grating or mixing a salad. Older children can lend a helping hand with chopping or selecting a recipe.
Let your child know what “eating right” looks like:
Explaining what to eat is one thing but showing your child what a healthy meal is another. So, ensure that you fill half of their plate with seasonal, colourful fruits, while the other half is filled with proteins and vegetables. The right amounts of foods will support your child’s overall growth. A proper, balanced diet will keep them full for longer hours, eliminating the chances of indulging in junk food.
Limit the sweets:
When it comes to children, keeping the candies and cookies away from them is a tough task. Many child specialists will advise you that sweet treats in limits are good. Excess of sweets may endanger the overall growth and development of your child. So, keep a day or a time in your child’s dietary chart for sweets, but offer them in moderation.
Help them listen to their bodies:
There’s a reason they are called ‘Hunger cues.’ One of the most crucial parts of child nutrition is to teach your child when to eat and when to stop. This may be easy for kids in a guided environment such as a home. But, what about the time when you are not around? To ensure that they listen to their bodies, here are a few things which you can do:
- Don’t push them to have the last morsel if they say they are full.
- Turn off electrical devices so that they can focus more on the food served.
- Teach them to take small portions at a time.
Eat what you preach:
It is no secret that children learn from adults. Hence, adopting good eating habits for your lifestyle will only help them eat healthier. So, the next time you want your child to finish the florets of broccoli, ensure that you are also doing the same. You can also do this with the foods that your child is struggling with.
Dinner time is family time:
Make it a habit to make dinner prep a family thing. Get everyone in the house involved in some chore or the other.
Children are more excited to try what they’ve made. Plus, it will save you the stress of asking them to eat nutritional foods.
Many child specialists in Delhi will probably vouch for all the points mentioned below. Getting your child to eat healthy can become tiring, but with these tips, you will have them eating healthy in no time. You may also reach out to child specialists in Delhi to know about different food groups, the right portion sizes, and other information on diet and food consumption.