Eating a variety of foods keeps our meals interesting and flavorful. It’s also the key to a healthy and balanced diet because each food has a unique mix of nutrients. Eating well can help in child’s healthy growth and development and may even play a major role in lowering the risk of suicide in young people.It’s important to remember that your kids aren’t born with a craving for French fries and pizza or burger and an aversion to broccoli and carrots. This conditioning happens over time as kids are exposed to more and more unhealthy food choices. Many kids’ diets involve a lot of convenience and takeout food. But these foods can be unhealthy. They can have a negative effect on your child’s health. Healthy eating prevents many chronic diseases, includes obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
Some of the Tips to follow
1.Serve fruits or vegetables at every meal. Make vegetables and fruit look great on the plate.
2.Serve good sources of protein like fish, eggs, beans, and nuts.
3.Reduce or ban eating fast food and low-nutrient snacks.
4.Serve water and low-fat milk instead of cold/soft sugary drinks.
5.Don’t force a child to eat, but offer a few bites.
6.Slowly start adding in more until you’ve adopted healthier food choices.
7.Play with your kids, regular exercise may help in motivating your kids to make healthy food choices.
Breakfast
Making your child to eat a helathy breakfast is a great way to start their day. Like hardboiled eggs, egg sandwitch or low-sugar, high-protein cereal and an apple.
Meal
Eat healthy food with limiting junk food. You can shred or grate veggies such as carrots into stews, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, or casseroles. Or you may bake them in muffins or breads. Expose your child to different kinds of food early on, and continue as they grow older.
Snacks
whole fruit is an easy and healthy snack to grab on your way out. Try to put snacks like popcorn on a plate/bowl but don’t let them eat directly out of the bag. Try to include vegetables and fruits in snacks like fruit salad or a fruit platter, cut-up vegetables with salsa or yoghurt dips etc.
Variety is important. All vegetables and fruits are healthy. However, everyone should follow the basic hygiene rules of hand washing.