Help your children build healthy habits by offering nutritious foods, limiting less-healthy options, and being active together. Promote this diet both at home and when children are away by speaking with school food providers, babysitters, or day care workers about their eating habits. Limit added sugars in children’s diets by providing water or 100% juice (4-6 ounces daily for kids) along with milk and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.
1. Eat various Nutrient-Dense Foods
No single food provides all of the nutrition your body requires, which is why it’s vitally important to consume a variety of unprocessed whole-food options like fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins to promote overall wellness and support healthy development.
Make sure you consume at least five servings of fruit and vegetables each day, be they fresh, canned, or frozen. Try to include more whole grains in your diet by choosing low-sodium, unsalted dried and canned options—being an example to kids will help them develop positive relationships with food that last a lifetime!
2. Limit Discretionary Foods
Children need food as fuel to stay energized throughout their days, yet eating too many salty and sugary snack foods regularly can lead to obesity, leading to heart disease, diabetes, and possibly certain cancers as adults.
Limiting discretionary foods could help children make healthier choices in the long run. Promising approaches to encourage kids to make healthy food decisions include restricting portion sizes, reformulating foods to reduce saturated fat content, replacing high-fiber snacks and low- or no-calorie beverages with healthier options (such as nuts and whole grains), and supplementing their diets with affordable and readily accessible healthy choices.
3. Limit Added Sugar
Children develop their eating habits from their parents, siblings, and peers. Children are more likely to try new foods and eat healthily when the rest of their family enjoys a balanced mealtime together. Make mealtimes an opportunity for family togetherness and fun; children will be more likely to consume healthy options they have helped prepare themselves.
Sugar is present in many foods and beverages, but it’s important to remember that naturally occurring sugars should form part of a balanced diet. By restricting added sugars, your children can avoid obesity while developing lasting health habits. Help your children find creative ways to handle setbacks or celebrate successes instead of turning solely to food as their comfort source.
4. Limit Fast Food
Parents often struggle with resisting fast food and kid meals as tempting treats for their children, but these items often contain excessive calories without providing vital nutrition needed for healthy development. Make it easier to avoid fast food by stocking your refrigerator with healthy options at home—whole grain bread and cereal, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, and protein foods can all make a difference in how often we snack.
Predictable eating habits that include meals and snacks at set times on an established table schedule help children regulate their food consumption, learn about healthy foods, and develop the skills necessary for making better decisions independently.
5. Limit Sugary Drinks
Eliminating sugary drinks from children’s diets is vital. Studies have linked added sugars (found in soda, energy drinks, and packaged foods) with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cavities.
Encourage children to drink water, low-fat milk, and unsweetened tea or coffee instead of beverages with added sugars such as sodas. Teach them to read food labels to find drinks with little added sugar. Water should be their main drink; however, other hydrating sources include low-fat milk and, if desired, small quantities of 100% juice; limit its consumption to one glass daily.
6. Eat More vegetables.
Eating more vegetables can provide children with essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber they need for optimal health while being low-fat sources of healthy carbohydrates. Introduce new vegetables in different forms; children who turn down cooked carrots might be more amenable to eating raw ones.
Make fruits and veggies easily accessible by keeping a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter, as well as stocking the fridge with chopped vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, and capsicum. Include your children when purchasing and preparing food to increase their excitement for eating it!
7. Eat More Whole Grains
Foods considered nutrient-dense provide numerous health advantages. Examples of such foods are whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and protein-rich lean meats such as eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds, as well as low-fat dairy. Look for products marked “whole grain” to ensure they contain 100% whole grains. Read through ingredients lists carefully, avoiding those containing high concentrations of sugar or fat.
As children typically eat whatever is readily available to them, stocking your kitchen with healthy options is key for developing long-term healthy habits in kids. Aiming to keep fresh fruit on hand and healthy snacks handy at meal times or grocery shopping trips can encourage kids to create positive eating patterns for life.
8. Limit Fat
Kids who are overweight face increased risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Encourage your kids to engage in physical activity that will help decrease their weight while also encouraging healthy meal prep habits.
Limit fat from meat, high-fat dairy products, and processed foods by opting for lower-fat milks and beverages, whole fruits, veggies, and unsalted nuts and seeds as sources of nutrition. Avoid fried foods; don’t make children eat meals or snacks in front of the TV as this can lead to overeating; limit treats such as candy, cookies, and cake to once or twice every week at most.
9. Limit Salt
Salt is an essential mineral, yet too much intake can lead to high blood pressure, kidney issues, and heart disease. One way of limiting sodium consumption is through cooking meals at home instead of purchasing prepackaged or canned food.
Encourage children to choose healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables, and low-fat dairy over unhealthy options such as chips. Review school menus together and select nutritious options when dining out. Parents, guardians, and caregivers play an integral part in shaping children’s eating habits and overall well-being. Other adults can help promote healthier choices—this could include daycare providers, babysitters, or friends.