Put your kids on the path to good nutrition
For many parents, nothing is as stressful as getting your kids to eat all the food on their plate, especially when it comes to veggies. Eating a variety of healthy foods is essential for your children’ s wellbeing.
Introduce new foods
For infants, offer new foods every few days to notice their initial reaction or if they experience some health complications such as allergies. When he or she is one year old, your child would have already been exposed to a varied diet of fruit, vegetables, grains and proteins. Toddlers will start to eat on their own, so it is important for the parent to have a set meal time to monitor and introduce new foods at the same time.
Control consumption of sugar and salt
Feeding babies, toddlers and young children food that contains high levels of sugar, salt and fat may lead to serious health and weight issues later in life. Researchers have found that children consuming three times the amount of sugar, can get heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
Eat more fruit and vegetables
Vitamins, minerals and fibre are just some of the benefits that fruit can offer to increase your child’ s longevity. Consuming a moderate amount of fresh produce has a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes and different types of cancer.
Encourage your kids to play with their food
Yes, food play can aid your child’ s perception of the health benefits of produce. Fruits like bananas, peaches or apples( that can easily be cut) can be used to decorate a bowl of oatmeal.
Be your child’ s role model
You need to set a good example for your kids when it comes to diet and nutrition. Make a point of eating healthy food whenever your children are around and encourage them to eat the same.
Cook together
Children often love accompanying their parents during grocery shopping, picking what goes in their lunch box and helping with dinner. Use this eager participation and curiosity to teach them about the nutritious delights in your kitchen. Allow them to prepare easy dishes by having them adorn food with condiments, fruits and veggies to make them feel like a chef. Preparing a meal will evoke kids to sit down at a family dinner because they feel a sense of pride in the meal they created.
B-Living Page 9 Issue 1, 2017 Bonitas Member Magazine 2016 Page Issue 10 4