Setting Up Your Kid for Healthy Eating Habits

As a parent, there’s a never-ending list of responsibilities that you have for your children. You must make sure they’re learning and performing well academically. You must also ensure their safety, their happiness, and that their growth milestones are met. One responsibility that often goes neglected is nutrition; specifically, nutritional habits.

The fact is that most kids are picky eaters. Getting your child to eat vegetables can feel like the one battle you just can’t win. For many parents,healthy eating habits and children don’t go hand-in-hand. However, as parents, we have complete control over the foods we allow our children to eat, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that their diet consists of the healthiest foods possible.

The Typical Child’s Diet

It’s safe to say that most children would readily reach for junk food over a fresh piece of fruit or vegetables. This is because eating well every day takes the back burner, especially as they face all sorts of uphill battles, including:

• Peer pressure
• Not wanting to feel different
• Lack of convenience
• Lack of control
• Lack of nutritional knowledge

For most parents, it’s much easier to give their children the food they want versus forcing them to eat something that may be considered healthy. It’s much less of a hassle (and a lot less frustrating!) to give your children the food they want instead of begging them to try something new.

Yet, feeding our children a diet of junk food, processed foods, and food high in sugar only sets them up for failure. Poor eating habits are hard to break. These eating habits can lead to all sorts of health conditions. In fact, in the U.S alone, around 1 in 3 kids or teenagers are overweight or obese.

Child obesity has been an epidemic in our country for years, and it continues to be a prevalent concern among younger generations. Carrying excess weight increases the risk of poor heart health, asthma, sleep apnea, and even cancer.

Why Nutrition Matters

As parents, we’re in charge of the quality and longevity of our children’s lives. By making eating well a priority from the get-go, we can minimize the various risks that are associated with being overweight or obese. Healthy eating habits aren’t the easiest to follow, especially in today’s fast-paced and overly busy world, but it’s not impossible.

Make eating well a priority for your family. Cook meals that contain plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These are not only healthy foods, but they’re cancer-fighting foods that will ensure your child’s well-being now and long into the future.

What’s most important is avoiding the common American diet, which is often devoid of critical vitamins and nutrients. Avoid processed foods, high-fat foods, and foods that contain added sugar, as they only increase the risk of poor long-term diet and health.

Want to Learn More About Healthy Eating?

There’s a lot of information to know as parents who are looking to provide the best food possible for their children. To learn more about eating well and healthy eating habits for everyone in the family, download our eBook titled The Health Consequences of What We Feed Our Kids. You can find this eBook, and other health and nutrition-based books, in our eBook library.

Source:

1. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/losing-weight/bmi-in-children