Teaching healthy eating habits
Setting a foundation of healthy eating habits is crucial to fuel kids as they grow and will set a solid path for a healthy lifestyle that will carry into adulthood. We all know this intuitively but learning how to teach children healthy eating habits is a skill!
Kids learn by observing, listening, exploring, experimenting and asking questions. They learn healthy eating habits through direct experiences with food and by watching others.
Here are five tips that can help guide the learning process.
1. Invite everyone to sit together at the table at mealtime. It's been proven to teach children healthy food choices and to master table manners. It also makes eating a social activity which has shown to encourage healthier eating habits. Win win!
2. Let kids choose from what's on their plate. This not only empowers them to explore on their own terms, but it's an important step in growing up and a skill that children will use for the rest of their lives. The key to giving children choices is to first decide what choices you will allow them to make. Remember two things, first, some kids will devour a meal one day and barely touch it the next (and this is OK) and second, they have teeny tiny tummies so a good rule of thumb is to look at the palm of their hand as the meal size they should have.
3. Try and try again, and again...and again. Kids may need exposure to a food 10 to 20 times before they decide to eat it. And then it can take another 10 to 20 tries before they determine if they like it. So. Keep trying!
5. Desert or no desert? Insisting that a child finish their plate before getting desert isn't teaching them how to recognize their own internal hunger and fullness cues. Instead, encourage them to tell you when they are full.
Many parents insist that kids clean their plates in order to get dessert. Instead, we should encourage them to learn to recognize their own internal hunger and fullness cues.
5. The forbidden fruit is always the one you want most! If you make some food completely off-limits, this is the one food they will overeat when they get the chance. Instead, take a balance approach by encouraging healthier treats and smaller portions of those treats. For example, it's OK to have ice cream, but make sure it's a kiddie portion and considering going for frozen yogurt with dark chocolate instead of sprinkles and whipped cream.