By encouraging your kids to follow healthy eating habits at the right age, and mimicking these behaviors in yourself, you can help your children to maintain a healthy weight and make a big contribution to their normal overall growth. Sit down together and have meals as a family. Children learn how to eat by watching their elders. As per the best nutritionist in Bangalore, prepare a nutritious meal that includes lean protein, low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and fill up your plate with these nutritious foods. You will observe that child is more likely to follow the same way of eating.
Little ones who eat family meals are more credible to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. They are also less likely to eat unhealthy options at other times of the day. Invite your child to eat at the dining table with you and you’ll probably notice him or her eating a variety of healthy foods. Most importantly, the eating habits which children tend to follow when they are young will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle when they are adults.
Making your child eat a healthy balanced diet filled with a variety of nutrient-dense foods can be a bit challenging. Many children enjoy eating the same foods over and over again, while others don’t let a fruit or vegetable pass their lips for days. It’s important for a child to eat enough nutritious foods as it supports normal growth and development. Make efforts to improve your kid’s eating habits with a few subtle changes on how you prepare and serve the meals in front of them.
Here what the best nutritionist in Bangalore pens down for parents to follow which can help to develop healthy eating habits in their children:
- Make healthy choices rather than dictate foods- Shop for a wide variety of healthful foods for storing at home. This will help the children learn how to make healthy food choices and restrict unhealthy choices like chips, soda, and juice.
- Encourage children to eat slowly- A child can well detect his or her hunger and fullness better when eats slowly. Before offering the second serving, ask your child to wait at least 15 minutes to check if they are actually still hungry. This will give the brain enough time to register fullness. Also, that second serving should be much smaller than the first and include more veggies.
- Eat together as a family as often as possible- Try to make mealtimes pleasurable with positive conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children might try to eat faster to avoid dining together as soon as possible. This may indulge a habit of eating with stress.
- Set family goals- All the family members should together make some healthy eating goals like restricting desserts to weekends or only drinking sodas on weekends. Make sure to drink enough amount water before dinner time, to encourage proper hydration
- Discourage eating while watching TV- Try to have meals only in designated areas of your home, such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in front of the TV might make it hard to pay attention to feelings of fullness, and may lead to overeating or binging.
- Keep a check on outside meals- Explore more about child’s school lunch program, or pack their lunch to include a variety of healthy foods. The best nutritionist in Bangalore says selecting healthier items when dining at restaurants will enlighten your kids to make better choices when grown up.
- Not to use food to punish or reward your child- Encouraging food as a punishment may lead young ones to worry that they will not get enough food. As a result, children may overeat whenever they get a chance. In the same way, when food options such as sweets, chocolates, and cakes, are used as a reward, children might assume that these foods are better or more valuable than others and might develop a habit to eat them more. For example, telling children that they will get chocolates if they finish the serving of vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.
- Plan a snacks time- Frequent snacking may lead to overeating, but snacks which are planned at specific times during the day and new options on each day of the week can be part of a nutritious diet, without spoiling a child’s appetite. Make sure the snacks prepared are full of nutrition and equally attractive to set a picture in the kid’s brain. Prepare healthy snacks within reach and at eye level.
- Sneaky healthy additions in meals- Sneak some healthy ingredients into the preparation which your child already likes. In most of these cases, the sneaky additions won’t change the taste so drastically that your child will refuse to eat the food. For example, adding pureed fruits and vegetables into your child’s favorite muffin or bread recipe will help to boost the fiber, vitamin C and potassium content. Keep the serving fresh and the kid will eventually love the preparation and eat a good serving size.
- Let them be chefs- Get your kids involved in the cooking process. Helping out with the meal preparation will make your kid more likely to try new foods. You start with a small activity like little ones helping in stirring with a spoon or toss a salad with utensils or sprinkle cheese on top of dishes to make it fun and enjoyable.
- Offer new foods each week- Introduce a new fruit or vegetable or a healthy snack once a week. Even if you’ve never tried it, be adventurous and prepare it for your loving kids. You never know what ingredient might hit their taste buds and your kids or you may like eating it another time too. The best nutritionist in Bangalore says, pick the ingredients according to the seasons, or try going through the alphabetical order and trying a new fruit, veggie, or herb for each letter. Family eating can always and anytime be so much fun.
With these few simple tips in mind, your child can slowly but surely grow to love a wide range of food options. Be extremely consistent and patient, and throw those age-old expectations out the door and let your little ones accept new delicious and nutritious foods into their palates. In this way, they can value their health and enjoy overall growth and development.