Childhood obesity is a big problem of our times. If you want your child to have healthy eating habits, here are a few things you can do.
First of all, you need to find a way to keep track of everything your child eats. You can keep a journal if you like, to make sure you have all the information that you need. You might be surprised to find out that things were not as you imagined. You might think that allowing the child to have junk food now and then is not that bad, but finding out how many times this happens might surprise you. Don’t get disappointed. This is a common reaction as many people don’t realize exactly what their children eat until they see it written. So keep a journal for at least one week to evaluate it after that period. This will also help you understand the portions your child eats and the ways you can change his habits.
Another thing you can do is to limit the opportunities the child has in eating junk food. In other words stop buying it. If you don’t keep junk food in the house, your child won’t eat it. Junk food is bad for your child in many ways. It is not a healthy food, it contains no vitamins and nutrients and above all it puts the child into the habit of buying and eating ready made food. This is an unhealthy habit you might have trouble changing in the future. Another thing you should know is that many juices are considered junk food as well. Ready made juices are concentrated and don’t have any fruit juice in them. They also have a lot of added sugar that is not needed. Since there are not fruit in them, there are also no vitamins and if any vitamins are added, they are not from raw fruits but are also manufactured. It is like giving the child supplements. If you are too busy to make fresh juices, you can buy a juice machine. They are not expensive and are really easy to use. Your child can also use it as there is no need to use a knife and experiment with the fruits he prefers.
Another thing you can do is to serve the meals in the dining room or kitchen. You should avoid serving meals in the living room in front of the television as this habit makes children eat more. Serve the meals in the kitchen and make sure you keep a schedule so that your child knows when it is lunch time and can expect it. You should also make sure to serve meals in hours that are proper for a child and not to let them starve before they can have lunch, just because you arrive late from work. If your child asks for a second portion, make sure you serve one. But do a small trick. Allow a second portion of vegetables or salad. For example cook steaks with boiled corn and carrots and not potatoes and if the child is still hungry after eating, serve more corn and carrots.
Lastly, you should keep a stable program and plan ahead for meals. Eating healthy food at a regular time can play a more important role than you think in keeping your child healthy.
Brent McNutt really enjoys socializing and networking with healthcare professionals online and also likes talking about Landau Scrubs and baby phat scrubs and also likes writing articles about various topics.