A healthy diet is essential for kids’ physical and mental health. Meanwhile, the busy life style and convenience food have impacted kids’ health negatively. The adverse effects on their health may continue to leave their marks till adulthood and develop weight gain and other problems. Therefore, it is essential to get kids to adopt better healthy eating habits at an early age.
But is your kid a picky eater? Or he eats lots of junk food and is obese? As a parent, are you worried about his health? Do you wonder how to get your kid to adopt better health habits, but not sure if you are doing it right? Don’t worry; we will guide you on encouraging your kids to adopt healthy eating habits. You can do this from a young age by making small changes and being consistent with them.
 

  1. Start With A Breakfast:

A balanced breakfast is a vital step towards instilling healthy eating habits in your kids. You can look for a high protein diet and high-fiber cereal to keep kids fuller for a long time, like Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, whole grain cereals, or pancakes. It should never be skipped or neglected, even during a busy routine.

  1. Make Meal Times A Priority: 

Mealtime is necessary to introduce healthy eating habits. There should be 3 to 4 meals a day, with one or two snacks in between. You can decide on menus for all your meals in advance. You don’t need fancy meals; a balanced meal serves the purpose.
So, whatever you choose, stick to making one meal for everyone. This way, you will save your time deciding the menu and educating them on what food is healthy for them. Moreover, when shared by everyone, you can turn it into fun and interactive family time.

  1. Focus On Overall Diet:

While making healthy food choices, the most focus should be on the food you should include in your diet. According to research, your kids should have a balanced diet, consisting of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.

  • A healthy diet, including seafood, eggs, dairy products, beans, pulses, etc., helps maintain their kids’ growth.
  • Whole grain, oatmeal, brown rice, etc., help provide fiber and boost their energy levels.
  • Not all fats are bad. Healthy fats like omega-3, avocado, olive oil, etc., are essential for brain growth, memory retention, and providing energy.
  1. Make Slow Shifts To Healthy Food Options:

The temptation to eat junk food is authentic. Cutting it off abruptly will cause cravings and eventually result in overeating and a negative relationship with food.
So, whenever you decide to change to healthy meals, do it gradually to let your child get used to the taste. Slowly replace the unhealthy food in your kitchen with alternative wholesome food. For example, replace whole milk with low-fat milk, or replace white bread with whole wheat bread, etc.

  1. Limit Snacks:

Snack time doesn’t always mean unhealthy food. There are many healthy snack options like banana muffins, carrot cake, or fresh fruits/ dry fruits. Please keep them within their reach and don’t force them to eat if they refuse. Usually, when they are free, they need something to eat. Therefore, if healthy snacks are in their space, they will pick them up without realizing the shift and making a fuss about it.

  1. Limit Sugar Intake:

According to research, sugar intake has adverse effects on health and should be restricted. But cutting on candies and drinks is not the solution. Sugar is present in many products. The best way to limit it is by replacing sugar with glucose slowly in recipes, shakes, and drinks.

  1. Make More Fruits And Vegetables Significant Part of The Diet And Get Creative With Them:

Instead of eating more processed food, make fruits and vegetables the significant portion of your meal. They keep them full and provide them with nutrients while making their food colorful. Let your kids choose what they want and be creative with their options.
Many kids don’t like vegetables. You can add them to their diet by shredding them or mixing them with other foods like carrot cake or zucchini meatballs. This way, they will eat them without making realizing it.

  1. Drink More Water But Not Drink Calories:

Water is an essential constituent of healthy food but is often neglected. Encourage your kid to drink two to three liters of water. But they should be careful of consuming sweetened beverages or carbonated drinks. These drinks are not suitable for their health.

  1. Let Them Take Part In This Activity:

The best way to make kids gets adopted to healthy eating is when they are made to anticipate in this activity. It can be creating the menus to buying the groceries, and preparing their food. It gets them excited, and they like to adapt to the changes by getting more creative.

10. Help Them Recognize When They Are Done Eating Enough:
It is essential to eat the right amount, neither less nor more. Many parents force them to complete their food, but it is crucial to stop eating when you are full. It helps in better digestion and a positive relationship with their food.
11. Encourage Physical Activity And Restrict Screen Time:
Screen time while eating is not a good habit. It causes distraction and a sedentary lifestyle. Due to the distraction, you can’t monitor the amount of food you have taken. They may take either too few calories or too many calories.
Moreover, the sedentary lifestyle also affects digestion and also makes you lazy and obese. Therefore, physical activity, either as sports or exercise, is vital in keeping kids healthy and active.
12. Make Sleep A Ritual:
While eating healthy food, a night of good sleep is vital to keep them physically, mentally, and emotionally strong. Sleep plays an essential role in overall growth and metabolism. A kid who lacks sleep is more irritated, and his eating habits can be affected. Therefore, it is recommended nine hours of rest for little kids.
Final Verdict:
 While making healthy changes to their diet, it is necessary to start them young as habits are produced early but are continued to adulthood. Instead of getting a child to eat when they refuse, slowly cut down the junk food by putting boundaries to the snacks availability and setting good examples as their role model. When healthy food is accessible to them, they will gradually get adopted to better healthy eating habits.
Hopefully, you found this type of information useful. To learn more about the powerful Life Skill childhood development program that uses martial arts as the vehicle for growth, or to get your child started at our Millbury location, click the button below:
Life Skill Martial Arts
322 Millbury Avenue
Millbury, MA 01527
https://www.lifeskillma.com
Life Skill Martial Arts is conveniently located in Millbury Massachusetts. Our academy provides high quality martial arts training classes to the residents of Millbury , Worcester , Grafton , Shrewsbury, Auburn and the surrounding areas, including Sutton , Uxbridge , and Northbridge.
Stan Tabor is a 6th-degree black belt and has been training in martial arts since 1972. He is the founder of the Life Skill curriculum and association. His goal is to build a future for the next generation of the Life Skill Instructors to use martial arts as a vehicle to teach life skills that develop children physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.