January 22 2023
We are bombarded with articles and images on the importance of good health and nutrition, kids' food, maintaining a balanced diet, eating healthy, and taking care of our bodies. Everywhere we look, there is some reminder that there is no escaping it, and the fact remains that it is solely our responsibility to take care of our bodies. However, the same rule doesn't apply to our children. As adults and parents, we commit to taking care of their nutrition and health.
As easy as it may sound, the reality is far from it. Family lives have become busier, and even children have hectic schedules. All this makes it difficult to have fresh home-cooked food for every meal, and we rely heavily on convenience or takeout foods. Our children's nutrition also suffers as their diet contains packaged, processed, and easy-to-cook meals. This can harm your child's health. Children learn how to get the best healthy nutrition tips for kids and maintain a balanced diet as part of their everyday routine at EuroKids for kids preschool admission.
Healthy foods for kids are essential as they are still growing. Their bodies have higher nutritional needs for optimal growth and development, and a deficiency in any one of their nutrients will cause lifelong problems. E.g., A diet low on calcium and vitamin D will cause problems in bones and teeth, fewer proteins will hamper the development of muscles, less vitamin A will inhibit their eyesight, and so on.
If you'd like to learn more about the importance of early childhood development. It is necessary to teach good eating habits from childhood, as they will remain with you well into adulthood. Though it may seem difficult initially, choosing healthier food alternatives will soon become part and parcel of your life.
When teaching children good eating habits, it is necessary to follow a routine that is simple enough for them to follow on their own as they grow older and even into adulthood. You can start with these stepping stones.
The time gap between dinner and breakfast is around 8 hours. The body needs fuel to be productive on an activity-filled day.
When eating meals as a family becomes a priority, it becomes a part of a routine.
Involve your child in meal planning, shopping, and preparing for a meal.
If you're ready to make a change towards making healthy foods for kids, then do so gradually.
Click here to know more about the best health drinks for kids.
Many foods like milk, fruits, grains, and some vegetables contain sugar in their natural form. They should be included in the nutrition for our kids as the amount of sugar present in it is enough as part of their daily intake. So we can make a change by.
Fats are essential to Children's nutrition. It is required to insulate specific body organs, skin, and many more uses. Fats also help in the absorption of certain minerals, and they help keep our stomachs full. While our kid's nutrition should contain fats, the type of fats they consume could be harmful. Good fats are unsaturated fats, and these include.
Unhealthy fats are the trans fats found in vegetable shortening, margarine, and fried and baked food items. Many packaged foods also contain 'partially hydrogenated' vegetable oils, which are bad for you and should be consumed only in minimal amounts.
The first step would be to eliminate and stop buying unhealthy snacks like potato chips, cookies, and cakes. If these aren't around, your child has to look for alternatives like cucumber and carrot sticks with Hummus or guacamole or apple slices with homemade peanut butter.
While there are numerous ways and ideas for making nutritious foods for kids or getting your child to eat healthily, the best tip would be to keep it simple, not stress too much about it, handle it slowly and gradually, and encourage healthy habits.
Children learn best by imitation, so if you eat healthily and show that you're enjoying the food, your child will do the same.
Children start showing food preferences from a very young age, so from the beginning itself, slowly and gradually introduce them to a variety of foods with different textures as well and continue even when they are older. Children often start enjoying foods they didn't like when they were younger.
Instead of worrying that your child is not eating a particular food item, try other sources of foods that have a similar nutritional value. Avoid focusing on a meal as a whole instead, look at what they are eating throughout the day and strike a balance. Stay away from convenient packaged and processed foods as much as possible.
Try focusing on foods your child can eat, enjoy eating, and should be eating rather than only focusing on what they should not be eating. If your kid's nutrition is healthy and eating well, then the occasional "treat" is okay.
Give your child smaller portions of food, especially when introducing new foods, and encourage them to serve themselves more if they are still hungry. This will also reduce food wastage.
Instead, use hugs, kisses, and words of praise to reward your child. This will prevent your child from using food to cope with emotions and feelings.
When screen time is limited, children will find other ways to entertain themselves and move on to other things rather than just sitting in front of a screen. Even eating mindlessly while watching TV should be discouraged as your child will eat much more than they should and may feel sick.
While snacks are a way to keep hunger pangs away between meals, they should in no way be used to replace a meal. Maintain a regular snack time and teach your child to ask before eating an additional snack portion. Also, please refrain from eating directly out of the bag as they will end up overeating.
Healthy eating is not just a goal. It is a lifestyle choice in which everybody needs to participate. It is an achievable slow, and gradual process. At Euro kids, we understand and respect the need for healthy foods for children, which is why there is a fixed menu designed by our in-house dietician and nutritionist, keeping in mind the nutritional needs of the children as well as their desire to eat something different every day. So why not click here and visit a EuroKids center closest to you and see for yourself the healthy eating habits of the children at the center?
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