Every good thing needs to be built slowly, including healthy eating habits. Since eating style can last a lifetime, the role of parents’ in guiding their children in this aspect of their lives is crucial.
Your baby’s foods should be rich in nutrients to help them grow healthily and provide energy for daily activities.
By encouraging your little ones to eat right while they’re still young, you can instil good eating habits in them and help them maintain good health as they grow.
Here are some great tips:
Do not ban junk food
It may seem controversial since fast food is known as “trash” because of its bad influence on overall health. However, banning junk food like crunchy snacks, sweets, or salty foods is not a good idea.
Kids rarely get unhooked once they eat fast food. Your child will still try to eat these even when they are full simply because you are not allowing them to at other times.
As a parent, you should also never restrict desserts or other treats as punishment for bad behaviour. Using food for punishment can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food for your child later.
Prepare healthy meals and snacks
To help your child learn about healthy foods, you need to explain to them which foods are rich in nutrition and which should be avoided.
Because they are unable to prepare their own foods, you will be the one to introduce these foods to them.
You mainly need to reduce foods high in fat, sugar, cholesterol, and sodium (easily found in pizza, burgers or other snacks).
It is best to focus on foods made from lean beef, poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruit, and whole-grain products like bread, pasta and cereals.
Get them to eat fish
People who eat fish will live longer than those who eat meats. Fish is an excellent choice for heart and brain development.
Start by letting your child eat fish with milder tastes and soft textures such as salmon and sardines. Remember to remove all the fish bones first.
Don’t feed them fish known to be contaminated with mercury or other toxins. Fish like canned tuna and freshwater fish while tasty, should only be eaten in limited quantities.
In order to build a stable base for your child’s eating habits, you also need to take note of their appetites.
If you try to force your child to eat foods they do not like, they might try to put off trying other options as well.
Also remember to stop feeding them once they are full. Forcing them to eat at this point, will only make them prone to overeating once they are older.
This article first appeared in hellodoktor.com. It was reviewed by Dr Duyen Le. The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.