As a parent, it can be frustrating trying to get your child to eat certain foods. The young palette does not usually appreciate new colors, flavors and textures in food. However, teaching children good eating habits at an early age can help them continue to make healthy choices throughout their lives.
Every child is different. Some are content to eat three meals a day full of fruits and vegetables, while others eat many small portions and are extremely picky. There is no “correct” way for how your child eats, as long as he is gaining weight and developing at the right rates. However, it is important to continue to offer a wide variety of foods to your child, even if they are extremely picky about what they put in their mouths. Thus, even if your child does not have a balanced diet on certain days, his weekly diet will be rounded. Just remember that as parents model healthy options and continually offer them (without pushing) to the child, eventually, the child will try them too!
Here are some tips to ensure your child has adequate nutrition:
– Feed your child a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Include foods that are different colors for both nutritional and cosmetic reasons.
– Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables from an early age. This helps the child develop healthy eating habits early.
– Model healthy eating habits. Children often want to eat what their parents eat, so make sure it’s nutritious!
– Put fruits and vegetables in your child’s favorite dishes. For example, a pasta sauce rich in chopped vegetables or adding cucumber and sprouts to a sandwich.
An important step in healthy eating is to reduce the amount of processed foods in your child’s diet. Cookies, candy, and other packaged snacks contain large amounts of sugar and artificial flavors or colors. Even fruit drinks are in the same unhealthy category! Processed foods are high in calories without much nutritional value. Not only that, but all the chemicals in these foods can lead to hyperactivity, restlessness, inattention, and obesity in children. Parents often notice that once processed foods are removed from their child’s diet, there is a significant improvement in overall physical and mental health.
Here are some tips for eating whole foods:
– Avoid processed/sugary snacks: chips, cookies, donuts, candy, etc.
– 100% fruit juice instead of sugary drinks (soda, iced tea, fruit drinks, etc.)
– Baked potato instead of French fries
– Use whole wheat instead of white bread/pasta/flour
– Oatmeal instead of sugary breakfast cereals
– Leftover slices of chicken or turkey meat instead of processed deli meats
– Breaded chicken breast strips instead of store-bought chicken nuggets
– Air popped corn instead of French fries
– Popsicles made with 100% pure fruit juice
– Fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks: apples, bananas, berries, grapes, celery, carrots, cauliflower, etc.