How to teach your children healthy eating habits in 10 simple steps

A lot of people struggle with teaching their kids how to eat healthy and stay away from salty, fatty and sweet snacks. Teaching them a healthy eating pattern shouldn’t be very difficult if you respect of the following set of simple rules:

1.Children learn from what they see.
If all they see around them is people eating potato chips, burgers, sweets, pies etc… how can they develop a taste for healthy food? Maybe it’s time to change your eating behavior.

2.They decide how much they eat, you decide what’s put on the table (or in the cupboards)
Taking your child grocery shopping might be something to avoid if they have developed a taste for the sweet and the salty. Buy fresh produce, lean meats, fish…

3.Variety, variety, variety!!!
If you only ever bring the same five dishes to the table, they will get bored quickly. Try some exotic fruit, buy veggies you haven’t tried before. If you don’t know how to prepare them, google it, that’s what the internet is for. They might even learn something from it!

4.No forcing!
If your child isn’t hungry, don’t make him eat. Finishing his plate is not necessary, trying a little bit is. Don’t worry too much if they are ‘getting enough’, if they are otherwise healthy and happy, they probably are.

5.Forget three meals a day
Let your child eat when he wants, he’ll enjoy eating much more than when he is forced to eat at hours that don’t suit his biological rhythm.

6.Eating out is possible
And even welcome, a change of foods might give him an appetite. But don’t go straight for macDonalds or Burger King, if you give them the right example, children do just as well in a healthier alternative. Maybe you can use the situation to get to know a little more about another culture.

7.Provide healthy snacks
Snacking isn’t a bad thing. Provided they don’t overeat at lunch or dinner time. Just see that you have healthy snacks available at all time. Some juice (no sugar added), fruit, dried fruit, nuts, a small salad in between might just do the trick.

8.Trust your child
Trust upon your child’s ability to know when to eat and how much they should eat. This might take some learning on both sides if you have gotten very used to the three meals a day pattern. Mostly, children are very in touch with their body and can let you knowwhat exactly they need, even from very young.

9.Start early on
Learning to eat a variety of healthy foods begins at birth, really, and even before that. If they see their parents enjoy a good meal, enjoy a variety of healthy and wholesome foods, they most likely will enjoy eating themselves. Remember that even in utero the fetus tastes what the mother eats, so it really begins there.

10.Don’t worry too much
Your child can pick up on your anxiety and start fearing lunchtime. Eating should be something the whole family can enjoy.