Healthy Eating Habits for Children

It is your responsibility as a parent to give your child access to healthy food. Healthy eating habits and choosing the best veg for kids can help if you’re worried that your child is eating too much or too little.

Eating Habits for Children

Ensure that your home has plenty of healthy foods and you eat healthy foods yourself.

Be a good role model by eating healthy foods yourself and having plenty of healthy foods at home.

It can be difficult to know what to feed your toddler or preschooler! It is not only challenging to determine what is needed to provide the child (or child’s parents) with a balanced and nutritious diet but the likes and dislikes of the child also change constantly. The eating ways your child develops as they grow will stick with them throughout their lives. It’s important to set young children on the path to developing healthy eating habits that will last into adulthood by promoting healthy eating habits. Healthy eating habits often require time and patience, so don’t give up! Keep reading to learn some tips.

How to get your child to eat healthily

Every child’s appetite is different each day. You shouldn’t be concerned about these changes.

You might find that your child eats a lot sometimes. It’s okay. Be sure to give your child nutritious foods.

There are times when your child won’t consume as much food as they usually do. This is perfectly normal. It is likely that your child will compensate for not eating by their next meal, or perhaps even the following day. Punishing or forcing children to eat other foods teaches them to ignore their hunger.

Your child is probably eating enough food if they are growing and developing properly.

Healthy eating and ‘tummy talk’

You can deal with concerns about your child’s eating habits by understanding how their stomach communicates with their brain.

Within 20 minutes of eating, your child’s brain recognizes that their stomach is full. Additionally, your child’s hunger is partially affected by the amount of exercise he or she has done and by the amount of food they have eaten in the past few days.

Eating too much

If you are worried that your child overeats, try the following:

Reduce the size of the food portion. A little extra help is okay if they finish their meal. In this way, the brain and the stomach can catch up.

Choosing not to eat a portion of the meal – such as the vegetables – is up to your child. It isn’t good to compensate for missing vegetables with extra food – such as meat.

Use a smaller plate for your child’s food. Despite getting the right portion size, the child will still get a full plate.

During mealtimes, stay away from distractions such as television and toys. Distractions can distract children from eating.

Eating too little

You could try the following strategies if your child is struggling to eat at mealtimes or doesn’t seem to have an appetite:

• Serve food at the same time every day. The likelihood of children being hungry at that time of day increases when they regularly eat at mealtimes.
• By serving small portions at snack times, your child will be encouraged to eat more at mealtimes. The majority of children do not require much snacking between meals unless they have running around all day. Your child may be overstuffed before the main meal if they have lots of snacks or if the snacks are large.
• If your child doesn’t eat a meal, do not offer an alternative. They may not be hungry.

Your child’s food and health message

A healthy diet begins at home.

Your child’s growth and development need to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Furthermore, it is important to provide your children with healthier eating habits and varieties of food. By doing so, your child will be able to make healthy food decisions in the future.

Here are some suggestions:

• Place a fresh fruit bowl on the dining room table or kitchen bench within easy reach and sight. Fruit can be offered to your child as a snack or if they are still peckish after meals.
• Put a lot of healthy, nutritious foods in your pantry and fridge.
• Choose fruits and vegetables with a variety of textures, tastes, and colors. Your child will be more likely to find something to eat if there is more variety.
• Plan and prepare meals with your child. Making the meal together with your child will make them more inclined to eat the food that has been prepared.
• Whenever possible, share healthy meals with your family. Make time on weekends and at breakfast for the whole family to eat meals together.
• Don’t watch TV while eating. When you provide your child with fresh and healthy food, he or she will be more inclined to eat than watch the tv.
• Make sure your child reads healthy food-related books, including books with fruit and vegetable illustrations. Make your child point out the different kinds, colors, shapes, etc.

Developing Healthy Eating Habits

Establishing a healthy eating habit yourself is the best way to set a good example for your child.

Eat a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours.  Young children require nutrients and calories each day in order to grow, so healthy snacks are integral to their growth.

Schedule mealtimes and snack times: Sit down together and enjoy family meals. In addition to improving your child’s nutrition, this helps promote family unity.

In order to maintain a healthy weight, provide a variety of lean protein sources, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains.  You should include at least three to four food groups at each meal.

You may have to offer food up to 10 or 15 times before a child will accept it.  When you introduce new foods, be sure to offer them foods that your child already enjoys so that your child does not get overwhelmed by so many new foods at once.