|
Home :: Diet - Children
Instill Good Eating Habits In Children For Good Health
As we are besieged daily by more news of overweight and obese
children in the United States, we are reminded that our
children aren't eating healthfully. And it's our fault. Our
children follow our lead, trust our judgment and take our
advice.
It's our responsibility to make sure children are eating a
healthful, varied diet. But that's truly a tall order since
children are often not open to new foods and will willingly and
loudly reject a variety of healthy foods.
So what do you do? There are several steps to getting your
children to eat better, be healthier and, hopefully, keep their
weight in check.
First, set a good example.
If your children see you skipping breakfast, woofing down a
burger for lunch and eating a beige, carb-laden dinner, they
are learning very little about good nutrition from you.
Remember that your children are watching what you do and, as
with so much else, they are taking your lead. If your diet
needs re-working, use your children as inspiration for that
change.
Second, go slowly.
If your children are accustomed to fruity pops for breakfast
and chicken nuggets and fries for dinner, definitely go slowly
in making changes to their diet. If you suddenly give them a
smoothie with a protein chaser for breakfast and a spinach
salad for dinner, you will meet with resistance, substantial
resistance.
Start with slowly adding more fruits and vegetables to their
diet. You can offer a fruit smoothie with breakfast (maybe make
it with frozen yogurt to begin with to literally “sweeten the
pot”, then taper that off as your children get used to it).
Switch from white bread to whole wheat. Make this a
non-negotiable item. If they are used to cold cereal in the
morning, allow that, but add the smoothie. Then adjust the kind
of cereal they eat, and so on.
For lunch and dinner, it's much the same. Make changes slowly,
and get your children accustomed to one thing before making
another (hopefully subtle) change. Remember, some experts say
it takes 10-12 exposures to a new food before children will
accept it. They might never accept brussel sprouts, but if you
have offered them a dozen times in various forms, you might be
surprised one day when they say, “yum”.
Third, make it fun.
Since many adults consider healthy eating to be torture,
imagine how hard a change this can be for a child, particularly
if they've literally been raised on carbs, sugar, and fat. If
you've set a good example, and been patient by moving slowly in
changing your child's diet, you might be surprised to see some
resistance fading away. Now you can add in some fun.
* Head to a salad bar restaurant. Although there are abundant
bad choices at these restaurants, there are enough good ones to
bring even the most resistant child to the baked potato bar, or
the spaghetti bar, or even – gasp! – the green salad bar.
Dessert is often frozen yogurt.
* Or make your own Lunchables for your child, but fill the
individual spots with grapes, cheese cubes, carrot sticks and
turkey breast.
* Take your kids to the park for a picnic dinner, but instead
of hauling along some fried chicken, make oven-baked at home,
and add a homemade potato salad and fruit salad. *Get your kids
into the kitchen with you. Although they might still sniff at
the thought of eating asparagus, having a hand in preparing it
might encourage them to at least try it – that's the child ego
coming out and you can exploit it for all its worth in this
situation.
About The Author: Elizabeth writes health related articles for
several health related websites, including Goji Capital:
http://www.gojicapital.com and Glyconutrients Online:
http://www.glyconutrients-online.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=68288
For Hundreds more great articles visit our
Article Archives
Our Highest Reviewed Diet
NL Natural Weight Loss understands that there is no standard diet program that works for everyone. They realize that everyone is different which is why they have created simple step by step guidelines that make it easy to personalize the plan for each and every individual. The plan doesn’t include costly meal replacements, supplements or pre-packaged food, only real foods from the supermarket. The simplicity and convenience of NL Natural Weight Loss put it a step ahead of the traditional diet programs. This program sets the standard for modern permanent weight loss solutions, without the stress of dieting. Their philosophy is based on a healthy balanced diet, adequate exercise, and improved lifestyle, and it’s backed by a mountain of scientific evidence. They offer free online support and a free newsletter packed with useful information and tips on weight loss health and exercise, including healthy recipes. Click here to learn more
©nulife-weightloss.com-
Instill Good Eating Habits In Children For Good Health
|
