Healthy Eating Habits

Though children outgrow many of their childhood habits, a few things like eatinghabits and attitudes toward food which they learn from their parents they will carrywith them into adulthood. Children develop tastes for certain foods at an earlyage. They learn to like what their parents give them. Children develop a natural preference for what they eat most often and enjoy. The challenge is to make healthy choices appealing. Hence, it is the responsibility of the parents to encourage their children to form good eating habits as it helps them to maintain a healthy lifestyle in their adulthood.
Poor eating habits can also lead to obesity and may result in impaired health.

Ideas to help establish a pattern for a healthy lifestyle: Set a good example for your child to copy. Establish a regular family meal pattern. Share mealtimes and eat the same healthy foods. Try to make mealtimes pleasant with conversation and sharing. Encourage children to eat fruits and vegetables. Discourage snacking on sweets and fatty foods. Encourage children to choose water as their beverage and avoid encouraging use of sweetened and carbonated beverages. Avoid fussing, nagging, arguing or complaining at the table. Mealtime stress can lead to emotional overeating. Provide variety when serving foods. Limit the amount of snacks. Provide snacks that are high in nutrients in relation to calories. Encourage children to participate in meal planning and preparation.
Some eating habits that should not be encouraged are as follows: Snacking while watching TV. Using food as a reward to entice good behavior, which will create an emotional link to eating. Using food as a bribe. Using food as a form of recreation to make one feel good. Having snack foods like candy, chips and soft drinks in plain sight. Forcing children to eat more than they want. Making children feel guilty about eating any type of food.

Quiz