As parents we all have a huge responsibility to teach our kids healthy eating habits. Did you know that the future of your child’s health depends on how they eat now and the food habits they learn during childhood? Research trials have proved that children with a poor diet tend to be unhealthy adults, with a much greater risk of suffering from obesity, as well as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, later on in life.
It’s also well documented that many childhood illnesses, such as epilepsy, autism, dyslexia, asthma and eczema can be triggered or symptoms aggravated by a diet high in sugar, additives or containing large amounts of common allergens, such as wheat or dairy. Whilst many doctors may not recognise the role of diet in triggering these conditions, many medical experts are using diet as a therapy to help reduce and even eradicate symptoms. Furthermore thousands of parents will tell you about how diet has a dramatic impact on their children’s symptoms.
Even if your child seems healthy enough for now, parents must take responsibility for the food their kids eat and for teaching them what makes a healthy, nutritious meal. Obesity and overweight children are reaching epidemic proportions, with 25million US kids and adolescents overweight or nearly overweight. Now I know for many parents who lead busy lifestyles it can be extremely tough to find the time to cook food everyday and sit down for a family meal. Yet it’s a habit that can do wonders for your family’s well being, both physically and emotionally.
Creating a Balance
I think we also have to be realistic – children aren’t going to eat healthily 100% of the time. It’s about balance and a good compromise is 80/20 – 80% healthy, 20% you turn a blind eye to. If you can achieve this ratio, you’ll be giving your child a wonderful start in life.
Here are some tips which I think are great to help give your kids more nutritious meals and encourage them to learn healthy eating habits for life.
1.Portion Size – your kids don’t need to eat as much as you do and it’s important they understand the correct balance of protein, carbs and fat at each meal. If they get into the habit of this at home, they’ll naturally do it when they’re eating out. A “healthy habits” place is a great way to teach kids about portion sizes. With colourful cartoons, the plate is divided up into segments with half for fruit and vegetables, a quarter for protein and a quarter for grains such as bread, rice, pasta. This is the perfect way to teach good nutrition, a lesson they can carry into adulthood.
2.Get kids involved in cooking – there’s no better way to get your children excited about good food than teaching them how to cook. They’ll love it and once they get a bit of experience of cooking meals and snacks, they’ll have all the tools they need to live a life free from ready-made, processed food. As they get older you can set up a cooking rota where they get to cook a meal once a week.
3.Sugar is addictive! Research has proved this. The more sugar you give them, the more they want it. Wean your kids slowly off sweet foods and replace with fruit (fresh and dried), which you can mix into live, unsweetened yoghurt or for a special treat dip into some melted dark chocolate.
4.Get sneaky and hide the vegetables! Now I know it’s important to encourage your kids to develop healthy eating habits, but if they just won’t eat their veggies then chop, grate or dice any cooked veg and stir into sauces such as bolognaise, pasta sauce, or into pizza base sauce. They’ll never know and you can feel happy in the knowledge that they’re getting at least some of their daily vegetable requirements.
PDF 
