Living a healthy life is not something that we are born knowing how to do. It is something we have to learn, practice and work towards. Promoting healthy eating habits is something that should be instilled from a young age, if your child is to stand a good chance of carrying these habits throughout their childhood and into adulthood.
Here are three really easy and simple ways to introduce your child to healthy eating.
- After-school cooking club
Starting an after-school cooking club is a great way to get your children involved in the whole food making process. Talk to them about what foods they are going to be cooking with and why they are good for you e.g. vitamin C to help keep them healthy. Let them help with all stages, including the preparation, cooking, serving and finally, the eating! Handling and tasting new foods are far more likely to be appealing to your child if they understand the process the food has gone through before it ends up in their tummies!
- Stick to a schedule
For adults, eating and snacking irregularly throughout the day can soon become the norm when you have a busy lifestyle. However, it is very important that your child adheres to an eating schedule with regular meal and snack times to maintain a healthy diet.
It is highly recommended that your child eats three meals and two or three snacks a day, as well as drinking plenty of water. This way, your little one will stay energised and hydrated, allowing their concentration levels to remain constant.
If for whatever reason, a meal is skipped, never make up for it with an unhealthy snack. Although giving your child a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar is a quick and easy solution to appeasing their hunger, this will not help them in the long run. The sugar and additives will give them energy in the short term, but they will soon come down from the sugar rush, leaving them tired and feeling low on energy.
- Be a good role model
Young children, especially toddlers, like to copy what their parents do. Therefore, there is a large chance that they will copy the things you eat, as they want to do the same as their mummy or daddy.
When you know they are watching you, be aware of the food and drink choices you make. When eating healthy fruit and vegetables, tell your child how yummy they are and how much you are enjoying them, and ask them if they would like to try some. If you have any older children, warn them not to speak negatively about certain foods in front of their younger siblings as this can have detrimental effects too.
Top tip: do not completely ban all treats. Having small treats every once in awhile is a good thing.
If you’re looking for expert childcare in or around the Nottingham region, please feel free to get in touch with us here at Tiny World.