From Ambiance to Portioning: Proper Nutrition for Children

Healthy Eating For Kids

Parents often have problems about healthy eating for their children. You must have heard parents say “he is not eating”, “I cannot have him eat vegetables”, “He doesn’t eat unless he is watching something”,  or “he is over-eating” on more than one occasion. Parents, anxious about their children’s development, usually cannot find a way out. In these cases, they either consult with a friend or search online. According to studies, one fourth of healthy children present eating problems. The most important causes behind this problem were found to be communication or the parents’ approach. 

System

For children to eat right, there must be a correct system and an eating-friendly order. Before forming a system, it is important to correctly set daily meals. First, determine which meal will be given when according to the child’s age. There must be at least 3-4 hours between each meal. So, do not try to feed your child before they are actually hungry. 

After that, the table setting must not be distracting and must enable the child to focus on eating. Unfortunately, these days, it is more than likely to see a mother who struggles to have her child eat something while he/she is watching a cartoon on a smart device. Distracting a child, who sat at the table for a meal, with visual and auditory stimulants will prevent him/her from falling into place. The child will think he/she is trading food for watching a cartoon. Please remember that even though these methods may look like paving the way for you, they might end up causing even bigger problems.

Stay Clear of Unhealthy Food 

The later your child meets fast food, the easier it will be for them for the rest of their lives. Cookies, fizzy drinks, potato chips etc. foods threatening your child’s life will also alter their eating habits and taste. One of the reasons why many children reject vegetables is their familiarity with too salty or too sweat packed food products. The taste of these packed foods are so extreme that children start defining healthy food as plain. And since these packed foods without a nutritional value are traded for healthy foods in daily nutrition planning, they indirectly cause a lack of vitamins and minerals in their diets. 

Family Dinners 

Sitting down at the dinner table as a family is particularly important for children to develop healthy eating habits. No matter how many times you dictate your kid about how to act, they will only copy your actions. If you are eating while watching TV or consuming too much junk food, would it be reasonable to expect your child to consume healthy foods? Thus, sitting down at the dinner table as a family is one of the most efficient tools in parent-child communication. 

Adjusting Serving Size

Being afraid of their children going hungry, mothers always fill their children’s plate until it overflows and even encourage the child to eat more. This approach might have a negative effect on the child in both senses. Pressuring a child into eating more than necessary might cause a problem of over-eating (obesity) or under-eating (loss of appetite) in the future. 

Patience and Compassion 

Focusing on a child’s nutrition is an uphill battle that requires patience and compassion. Based on the child’s temperament, it is important to form the correct communication with nutrition by not forcing them and approaching them with compassion. Only through love, patience and compassion can parents overcome the eating problems of their children. If you have a problem you cannot overcome about your child’s eating, it might be the time to change your approach.