Parents Play A Vital Part Of Establishing Healthy Eating For Children

Parents play an important role in their child’s eating habits and nutrition. It is important for parents to establish healthy nutrition practices at an early age. Parents that provide a healthy diet at an early age will set the stage for life-long eating habits. It is also important that parents role-model good eating habits in front of their children.

It is important that children eat three well-balanced meals a day, starting with breakfast. Studies show eating breakfast affects both cognitive and physical performance. That is if a child eats breakfast they will be better able to learn and perform in physical activity. Many parents have problems making their children eat breakfast. Some children are not hungry when they first wake up. Their appetites don’t surface sometimes till mid morning.

One way of meeting your child’s breakfast needs is to pack snacks for them to eat while on the bus to school or when they arrive at school. These snacks can also be eaten at mid-morning. A couple of snack ideas are a banana or apple with cheese and crackers, or a juice box with a low-fat granola bar. These are healthy choices that fill your child up and meet nutritional needs.

Some parents have children that are picky eaters. Do not worry if a child’s appetite seems small or if they insist on eating the same foods over and over again. These habits will change or disappear over time. Forcing children to eat foods that they do not like will only make them more resistant to eating.

What can a parent do when their child is resistant to eating vegetables? Substitute the vegetables with different fruit choices, or try giving them more selections from grains, rice, and pasta choices. These items are fortified with nutrients. They will provide minerals, trace nutrients, and fiber that are missing by not eating vegetables. Parents can also substitute cooked vegetables with raw vegetables with a sauce that your child likes. There is nothing wrong with giving your child that one favorite vegetable they like more often.

Do not exclude sweets, cookies, and candy from your child’s diet. Show your child that these foods are acceptable in moderation. Try to show your child that sweets are small part of their total diet. By making sweets a “forbidden” food it will only make them more attractive. It is also not recommended to use sweets as a reward for good behavior.

Try to abstain from giving your child soft drinks as their preferred beverage choice. Serve milk or fruit juices at meal times. It is essential for strong bone development that children receive enough calcium in their diet. They can achieve this through the consumption of Dairy products.

Try to expose your children to wide variety of foods at an early age. It will take a child several tasting of different foods before they accept them into their diet.

Child & Adolescent Nutrition, Health, & Physical Activity: by the International Food Information Council and Foundation Nov. 2006

What Parents Need to Know about Children’s Nutrition Now: by Dr. Wm V. Tamborlane professor of Pediatrics Yale University School of Medicine