Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Disciplining & Training Children: Eating Habits : Keys to Developing Healthy Eating among Children

Children naturally eat food when they are feeling hungry. There are times they don’t want to eat, not because they don’t like the food but because they're not really hungry. But if they want to eat, they ask for food. This is not same with adults who keep eating even they're already full. Unfortunately, many children are now overweight kids because they are trained to eat like adults.

Our present generation has lots of bad food to offer every day. If these foods have become choices of your children, sooner or later it will be their lifestyle. Today, responsible parents should apply corrective measures as far as food is concerned and take into consideration their child's health. So here are some ways to enhance good eating habits in your homes:

Tips for Eating Kids

1. Avoid limiting or controlling food. If parents have the habit of restricting food to their children, the latter will only build up eating disorder like bulimia or anorexia later in their lives. It has chances of having defective growth development.

2. Always make healthy food available. Children will normally eat what they see. Display a variety of fruit on a big bowl. Offer some apples for snack. As much as possible never put on display anything that you don’t want them to eat—something that’s not healthy to eat. Keep in mind that a child will be eating food that is seen in the house.

3. Never brand the food as “bad” or “good.” Rather, tie the food to the stuffs your children love so much like appearance, sports, cartoon, or toys. Tell them how certain food like turkey and other lean meat can provide them protein, how calcium in dairy products provide them energy for physical performance and sports. Fruits and vegetables serve as antioxidants.

4. Give compliment if they choose healthy food. Show your appreciative smile and let your children understand how smart they have become because of healthy food they eat.

5. Avoid nagging at your children if they have unhealthy food choices. Just ignore it, if they do. Or if the child likes eating fried, high-cholesterol content, fatty food, then redirect the choice. Offer them to try roasted potatoes in the oven, rather than french fries. Or if he likes candy, you optionally offer fresh strawberries coated with less chocolate sauce. Too busy to do it? Then give them organic sweet dried fruit for quick snacks.

6. Food is not good to reward a child. Eating creates only weight problems in their bodies. Better yet, reward them with things for fun and physical benefits like an adventurous journey, fast catching games, or hide and seek family play.

7. Seek advice from your health care specialist. It helps if you regularly visit your child’s doctor and nutritionist before doing a diet for your child, changing the type of food, attempting to help him gain or lose weight. Don’t make any diagnose that your child is underweight or overweight.

Changing your children’s diet and eating lifestyle are continuing and not overnight. All food outside the house can make overweight kids. Each time they are off home, people around can make them eat much and indulge in wrong food. But the eating style they learn from you is capable of protecting them for a lifetime!