If You Won’t Read This Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

It is estimated that, on average, American children are overweight. The major reason behind this is their unhealthy eating habits. These eating habits develop when parents underestimate the benefits of healthy cooking. Serving healthy food to children is the key to keeping them fit and fine throughout their life. However, in order to do this, parents themselves should first realize the importance of healthy cooking and eating healthy.

Whether you have a teen or a toddler, here are some do’s and don’ts which can help you develop healthy eating habits for your children.

Do’s:

Try healthy cooking: Mastering the art of healthy cooking is a first step which you can follow to keep your children healthy. Try to cook more and more foods at home. While cooking, also see to it that you retain all the essential nutrients from healthy foods such as vegetables.

Deter your children from overeating fatty foods and snacks. Store lots of fruits, vegetables, low-fat snacks, and yogurt around and serve them to your children at regular intervals.

Feed your children smaller meals. In between give them nibbles of nutritious foods when they are hungry. This way you can make your children eat more vegetables and fruits at a time when they are least expecting them, but they’ll eat it anyway because they are hungry.

Combine different textures and colors during mealtime to make it more enticing and interesting.

Tell your children to eat slowly. This will make him/her to relish every morsel and he/she will also develop a fine judgment of eating as per their appetite. This will also prevent your children from overeating.

Don’ts:

Don’t at all add unnecessary sugars to foods and drinks.

Don’t make your children accustomed to extra salt by adding it to food or keeping it besides their eating table.

Compel your children to eat more than they actually want.

Involve yourself in a squabble or a quarrel or an argument with your children when they are having their lunch or dinner.

If you have a son/daughter who is below the age of 5, don’t give him/her whole nuts as it might choke the esophagus.

Make your child feel ashamed about eating any kind of food.

If you follow these do’s and don’ts and if you involve yourself in the art of healthy cooking, then your every step will invigorate your child and will make him/her healthier day-by-day.