Do you fight with your children to get them to eat healthy foods? Many parents struggle with this seemingly impossible task. However, healthy eating habits do not have to be a daily struggle for you and your children. The secret to getting your children to eat healthy is simple: involve them!
Before I outline methods of how to involve your children in healthy eating habits, you must first consider that healthy eating habits are essential for your children’s normal growth and development. Not to mention, eating habits that your children learn early in life are likely to be the same eating habits they have as adults. If you are teaching your children to overeat, eat unhealthy foods, consume sugary drinks, or maintain a restrictive diet, you are setting them up for unhealthy eating habits as adults.
These unhealthy eating habits can lead to obesity and other health issues such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and malnutrition. Thus, it is extremely important to teach your children healthy eating habits so they maintain good health now and later in life. To do this, involve your children in their eating habits using these three simple strategies:
Teaching your children healthy eating habits is easy. All you have to do is get them involved using one, two, or all of the strategies mentioned above. As a result, your children will grow to maintain healthy eating habits and will lower their risk of diet-related health issues.
References
Healthy Eating Habits for Your Child. July 2016. WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/children/kids-healthy-eating-habits#1
Encourage Kids to Eat Healthy Food. 2014. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/eat-smart/encourage-kids-to-eat-healthy-food/
Healthy Eating. 2014. Kids Health. http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/habits.html
MyPlate. 2017. Choose MyPlate. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/