As a parent, one of the most important things you do is to assist your children adopt healthy eating habits. Children require a balanced diet containing food from all 3 food groups—vegetables and fruit, whole grain goods, and protein meals.
Children need 3 meals a day and 1 to 3 snacks (morning, afternoon and potentially before bed) (morning, afternoon and possibly before bed). Healthy snacks are just as important as the food you serve during mealtime.
Organic fruits and veggies, whole grains, dairy, and meats, as well as home-cooked meals are the best foods.
Sugar and Sugar Replacements
Offer foods that don’t contain added sugar or sugar replacements. Sugars that have been refined (sucrose, glucose-fructose, white sugar), honey, molasses, syrups, and brown sugar should be avoided. They all have similar calorie counts and can lead to tooth decay.
Sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and sucralose, do not add calories or promote tooth damage, but they are much sweeter than sugar and have no nutritional value. They may develop to a habit of just loving sugary foods and make it tough for your child to transition to fruits and vegetables. It’s a good idea to minimize them in your child’s diet.
Here is 15 Healthy Snacks Your Kids Will Love to Eat
Juices and Water
Whenever your kid is thirsty, give him or her water, especially between meals and snacks.
Limit juice to one serving (125 mL [4 oz.]) of 100 percent unsweetened juice a day.
Serving genuine fruit instead of fruit juice adds essential fiber to your child’s diet.
Drinking too much at mealtime or between meals might make children feel bloated.
Here is 7 Healthy Drinks for Your Kids
Sodium
Sodium is a mineral that maintains correct fluids in your body. It’s also needed for nerve and muscle function. But, eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease. Sodium is usually referred to as salt.
Offer your youngster healthy foods that are low in salt as often as feasible.
Processed and pre-packaged foods tend to have excessive quantities of salt.
Too much sodium in childhood can lead to a predilection for salty food, which is related with obesity and/or disease later in life.
Use the percent Daily Value (DV) on food labels to compare products. Look for foods with a salt concentration of less than 15 percent DV.
What about fat?
Healthy fats comprise important fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 that cannot be produced in the body and must come from food. Use vegetable oils like canola oil, olive oil or soybean oil to cook. Salad dressings, non-hydrogenated margarines, and nut butters (e.g. peanut butter) all include healthy fats and mayonnaise.
Many fats that are solid at room temperature contain higher trans and saturated fats that can boost your risk of heart disease. Limit butter, hard margarines, lard and shortening. Read the labels and steer clear of trans or saturated fats, which can be found in so many shop items including cakes, donuts, and biscuits.
Limit processed meats, such as wieners and luncheon meats, which are also heavy in fat, sodium (salt), and nitrates (food preservatives) (food preservatives).
As the parent, it’s your role to:
Establish family-friendly meal and snack times. Share mealtimes and eat with your children.
Offer a balance and diversity of foods from all dietary categories during mealtimes.
Offer meals in manners they can manage easily. For example, cut into bits, or mash meals to prevent choking in younger children.
Assist your children in learning to eat independently by teaching them how to use a spoon or cup.
Include your child in age appropriate food preparation and table setting.
Avoid using dessert as a bribe. Serve healthful dessert choices, such as a fruit cup or yogurt.
Show your youngster how you read labels to help you choose meals when shopping.
Avoiding fast food places shows your children the value of enjoying mealtime as a family, while eating healthy home cooked meals.
It’s your child’s job to:
Choose what to eat from the items you supply at meal and snack time (and occasionally that may mean not eating at all) (and sometimes that may mean not eating at all).
They are free to eat as much or as little as they like.
What if My Child is a Finicky Eater?
Don’t stress too much if your youngster refuses a food product or meal. Refrain from offering them something additional in between meals simply so that they eat. They will eat better at the next meal.
Don’t worry too much if your youngster doesn’t seem to be eating enough. If their weight and size is on track, they are probably getting everything they need. Just be sure to provide your child a variety of foods from all food groups to make sure they are getting the necessary nutrients. Your child’s doctor will check their growth at regular appointments and will let you know if there are any difficulties.
Children’s appetites shift from day-to-day, or even from meal to meal. Because they have small stomachs, youngsters need to eat small amounts repeatedly throughout the day. Children know how much food they need and will eat the amount that their body needs.