Let me start today’s blog article with a fact. Did you know that our brain has an emotional trigger which connects the food we eat to feelings? – Every time we eat something we desire, we tend to have a sense of satisfaction, and it even stimulates our happy hormones. (I hope this explains all those midnight cravings).
This applies to children as well. Our children’s taste buds are different from ours and are highly sensitive. It is for this reason that they are mostly fussy eaters, which is completely normal. But as parents, it comes to our responsibility to develop healthy eating habits for our children. So where do we start and what do we do?
What is the need for a healthy diet in children?
It is a misconception that children can eat as they please and munch on snacks and nibbles whenever they want just for the reason that ‘they are just kids.’ Just like how we try to balance our diet and try to stay fit with all those strenuous sessions at the gym, your child deserves the same health and wellness. Health is the natural resource of our body, and we must be keen to not meddle with it with our poor eating habits.
Especially when you start introducing healthy eating habits to your children in their early stages, they develop a sense of a healthy lifestyle. This sense of health and wellness installed by you in their childhood will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they grow into adults and guard themselves against any health disorders that come their way.
How to promote healthy eating habits?
1. Schedule each meal and stick to it every day. Avoid letting them munch on snacks in-between meals, as it spoils their appetite.
2. Children lean towards food that is more appealing to them. Therefore, bring out the food artist in you and try to present their meal plate in a fun and creative way.
3. Healthy food does not necessarily have to be flavourless. All the veggies are packed with flavour just as much as they are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Hence, keep yourself updated on the recipes and whip up a delicious meal.
4. Never offer your children a treat for eating healthy food. That way, you are projecting a negative idea about all the fruits and veggies they eat.
5. Include your kid during grocery shopping and while cooking so that their perception toward food takes a right turn and they develop a healthy relationship with food.
It is always advisable to start early, and when you do, your child will have the least possibility of encountering obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions that adults face these days. So if a teddy bear-faced pancake or a rainbow recipe of veggies or fruits is gonna keep them from the common issues, go the extra mile and do the needful.
