Good Food Habits To Teach Your Kids When They’re Little
Did you know that 20% of children in Year 6 were classified as obese in the most recent UK health survey? There is a genuine problem with obesity and overweight children in the country, and experts believe it all stems from the early stages of childhood.
Kids have no control over what they eat; they rely on parents and schools to feed them. Furthermore, they adopt eating habits based on what they eat when they’re little – or what they see their parents eating. This means that kids that grow up eating unhealthily are going to continue this habit when they’re older, leading to all sorts of health problems.
As parents, we like to think we have an influence over our kids. So, here are a few good food habits to teach them when they’re little, meaning they grow up nice and healthy!
Portion sizes
So many people grow up overweight because they are fed massive portions at home. When they were children, they were eating twice as much as they needed. They become adults and always overate, leading to obesity.
It’s really no surprise that portion sizes are a leading cause of obesity in the country. So much so that one of the main treatments is gastric balloon surgery, which basically forces people to feel fuller sooner, reducing portion sizes. It’s your job to feed your children the right portions and teach them about portion sizes. Therefore, they grow up knowing what a decent portion is!
Eat fruit & veg daily
You should really get into the habit of feeding your kids fruit and veg from a young age. Children that grow up eating fruit and vegetables are less likely to hate them. They start seeing them as a natural part of daily life, reaching for an apple or orange as a snack.
Obviously, eating five portions of fruit & veg per day is seen as the target, so do your best to get your kids into this habit.
Avoid sugary snacks
Portion sizes aren’t the only problem in younger kids; it’s an excessive amount of sugary snacks that do the damage as well. Sugary treats can cause weight gain, and it’s one of the main reasons we have so many obese children in the UK.
Funnily enough, the previous good habit will help you install this one. Fruit is a great alternative to sugary snacks that are high in calories. If your kids are brought up eating fruit and veg, it doesn’t seem unnatural to them to have some as a snack. Alongside this, look for simple swaps – like ditching sugary cookies for oat-based biscuits made with significantly less sugar.
If your kids learn these positive habits, their relationship with food will be extremely good from a young age. They’ll grow up eating the correct portion sizes, having five loads of fruit & veg per day and without eating too many sugary treats. This helps you feel confident that you’re raising your kids to be healthy, improving their quality of life when they’re older.
Collaboration.
Follow