Health is wealth, and regular exercise and a balanced diet are the keys to healthy living. We’re sure your little ones have no trouble getting regular exercise – they’re so energetic and lively. But the most important aspect of healthy living is maintaining a balanced diet. When it comes to getting children to eat healthy, we know that buying and preparing healthy meals is not the difficult part – it’s finding a way to make them actually eat those nutritious foods that’s challenging! To make this easier and to ensure that your child is getting enough nutrients, they need to take in a balanced amount of protein, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Also, added sugars need to be avoided, along with saturated and trans fats.
Some strategies to encourage healthy eating habits and improve nutrition include: serving a variety of healthy foods and snacks, having regular meals as a family, getting kids involved in the process, ad being a role model by eating healthy yourself.
Bear in mind that bargaining or bribing kids so they eat healthy foods in front of you is not going to work in the long run. A better strategy is to give kids some control, but to also limit the kind of foods available at home.
(Note: If you have questions about nutrition for young children or specific concerns about your child's diet, please talk to your child's doctor or a registered dietitian.)
