Creating a “healthy home” can be easier than you think.
Creating a nutritionally healthy home is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the health of your kids. To start, make smart food choices, and help your kids develop a positive relationship with healthy food. Your children will learn their food smarts from your example.
The following are ten great tips to get your children to eat healthy food:
1. Never restrict food from your children. Doing so actually increases your children’s risk of developing eating disorders later in life, such as bulimia and anorexia. Also, food restriction tends to hinder growth and development, as well as leading to bing eating later in the day. Bing eating leads to weight gain.
2. Have healthy food in your home. Your kids will eat what is visible to them. Use this to your advantage. For instance, keep apples, oranges, bananas and pears in a bowl on the counter, not a drawer in the fridge. Also limit the empty calorie foods which you keep on hand. Doing this will teach your children how to select a healthier diet.
3. Avoid labeling foods as healthy and unhealthy. Rather, associate foods to areas of interest to your children, such as sports, school, and favorite hobbies. Make your children aware of the fact that certain super foods, such as turkey and yogurt, provide the physical and mental energy to strengthen their sports and academic achievement.
4. Give you children credit for making healthy choices. Let them know that you are proud of them when they choose healthy foods over junk foods. Positive enforcement is important for your children.
5. Don’t nag about unhealthy choices. If your child chooses unhealthy foods infrequently, ignore it. However, if your child always wants fatty, fried food, redirect the choice. You might try roasting potato sticks in the oven (tossed in just a bit of oil) instead of buying french fries. Or, if your child wants candy, you might make fresh strawberries dipped in a little chocolate sauce. Too busy? Then keep naturally sweet dried fruit at home for quick snacks. With consistent effort taste buds change and soon your child will be craving healthy foods.
6. Absolutely avoid rewarding children with food. Doing so often leads to weight problems later on in life. Rather, you should reward your children with a healthy activity, such as going swimming, or a trip to the park.
7. Eat dinner as a family at the dinner table. You should make this a tradition in your home, if it is not already. It has been proven that children who eat dinner at the table with their parents are not only better nourished, but have less of a likelihood to get into trouble later in life.
8. Dish the food out in the kitchen. In the kitchen, you the parent can place healthy food portions on your children’s dinner plates. Over the course of time, your children will be able to see what a healthy portion of food looks like.
9. Allow your children to exercise some decision making. Listen to your children’s food likes and dislikes. This is especially important when it comes to healthy food. When healthy foods are the food of choice for your children, serve these foods to them more often. Conversely, offer foods which your children do not like less often.
10. You should always confer with a pediatrician prior to putting your child on any diet. Whether you child needs to gain or lose weight, seek a professional opinion prior to making significant changes in your child’s diet. If your child does need a change, then find a book which will guide you on the subject.
Learn more about weight loss for kids. Stop by Megan Hillard’s site where you can find out all about weight loss for children and what it can do for your child.