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How To Select Healthy Food For Children?

08 May 2010 by admin

Selecting healthy foods for children have always been a daunting task for parents. And with today’s children being far more intelligent and always thinking ahead of us, the job has become more difficult. But as parents, it is our responsibility to put the children on healthy eating diets and for that, selection of healthy foods for children is the key. But then again the big question is how to relate healthy food and children? You cannot force them, you cannot be too restrictive and you also cannot be too liberal at the same time! So, let’s try and see few tricks that may be effective for selecting healthy foods for children.

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Healthy Food Chart for Kids

  • Shopping Time: If you involve the children in selecting fruits and vegetables, their interest levels are bound to increase and they will also enjoy the experience of selecting various items. So if they have selected pears and carrots this week, ask them to select may be grapes and eggplants next week. Once you serve the foods that the children have selected, it is hard for them to refuse to eat those foods!
  • Joy of Cooking: You can create a bridge between healthy food and children instantly if you allow your children to cook. If the children are involved in planning the meal and also preparing them, they will show more interest in eating them. Start with basic things like peeling, cutting or just stirring the foods. Then slowly graduate them to help you out into full fledged cooking. You can also incorporate some nutritional activities for children in cooking that can generate interest in them.
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    Healthy Family Means Wealthy Family

  • Eating Together: Eating together has multiple children health benefits. Your children will look forward to eating with you and in the process you can also dish out foods that are rich in nutritional value. For most of the children their parents are the role models. So, if you yourself explain them what food health benefits that the vegetables or the fruits you are eating have, they will try to follow you.
  • Only Positive Messages: Try not to label foods into “good’ and “bad” categories. Instead highlight the food health benefits that are associated with the fruits, vegetable or cereals rich in nutritional values. Emphasize on the benefits the children may derive by linking the foods to their areas of interests like sports, studies or appearances. Tell them that one of the fruit health benefits of apples is having stronger bones and the children can run faster if their bones are developed. Or tell them that carrots are good for their skin and will make them glow.
  • Praise Them: Praise your children with a smile or a pat on the back and tell them how smart they are in selecting foods that are rich in nutritional values. This will encourage them to develop healthy eating diets and will be beneficial in the long run.
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    Pack Your Refrigerator With Fresh Food

  • Access is the Key: Keep your fridge and kitchen packed with bright colorful fruits, fresh vegetables, flavored low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese; whole grain snacks etc. Remind the children that your home is stocked up with all these foods and they need not run to the fast food store in case they are hungry! Give them the access to have flavored milk instead of fizzy drinks or feed them with pretzels instead of potato chips.

Try these simple but effective tricks and see how it helps in selection of healthy foods for children. You will be amazed to see the relationship it develops between food and children. And in the process your children can develop healthy eating diets that will be lifetime rewards for them!

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The Importance Of Healthy Eating Among Kids

01 May 2010 by admin

In today’s world it has increasingly become difficult for parents to induce the importance of healthy eating among kids. This is primarily because kids are lured easily into the world of fizzy drinks, candies, chocolates, chips and unhealthy fast foods by the advertisements they see. And once they get a taste of these foods, the right mixture of salt, fat and sugar in them ensures that the kids are hooked to them forever. As parents, the onus lies on us to ensure that the kids understand the importance of healthy eating as early as possible. Because once the kids develop healthy eating habits during their childhood, they are set for a healthier, happier and longer life in future.

Now, the big question is how do we make the kids understand the importance of healthy eating? Well, there are a number of ways to do that. But, let’s see some of the simple, yet effective ways of doing so.

  • Start it easy. Kids are very sensitive and any kind of sudden change in food habits can be too overwhelming for them. So, the path to healthy eating diets for the kids should be slow but steady.
  • When you are cooking a new healthy dish, always try to cook extra servings. This can be refrigerated and can be served to the kids later on. This will avoid rushing to the fast food counter across the street, as there will be ready food available at home in case the kids are hungry. You just need to heat it and serve.
  • Eating can be made fun by the help of some nutritional activities for kids. Involve them in shopping those fruits and vegetables that you plan to buy. While preparing the meals, the kids can be asked to peel the fruits, cut the vegetables, stir the foods etc.
  • Make the mealtimes interesting while developing healthy eating diets. Tell them some interesting stories. This is the right time to tell them Aesop’s Fables, Grimm Brothers Tales or anything that comes to your mind. Tell them that they would gain the strength by eating broccoli as Spiderman does so to fight the baddies. Tell them how Popeye eats spinach to fight Bruno, his enemy.
  • Your kid’ bodies need to be hydrated throughout the day. The primary drink for your kid needs to be water. That apart, natural fruit juices, low-fat milks are healthy alternatives than the fizzy drinks. You cannot make them quit consuming the fizzy drinks at one go, but a patient approach will do it for you.
  • The above logic applies for candies as well. Instead of candies, you can buy your kids dark chocolates as these are found to contain antioxidants, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the bodies. But make sure they wash their mouths properly after eating chocolates.
  • Lead by example. Ensure that you join your kids during breakfast or dinner, or both. The kids would love to have you around and sooner or later will try to follow your healthy eating habits. You can monitor their eating activities as well and also bring in some sense of discipline in them, like eating on right time, following table manners etc.

Now you are equipped with all the necessary information about how to induce the importance of healthy eating among kids. Try these simple, yet effective tips and see the effect it has on your kids. After all, we all love our kids and are ready to walk that extra mile to make them grow healthy, hearty and happy. Isn’t it?

Category: Kids health and fitness  Tags: , , , ,  Comments off