7 Tips to Instill Healthy Eating Habits in Kids and Teens
One of the unspoken parenting rules of the 21st century is that it’s never acceptable to ‘body shame’ our children or talk to them about weight gain. It’s a tricky situation to deal with when you notice your teenager gaining a few kilos with the onset or development of puberty. Nonetheless, it is also our duty as parents to teach our children about healthy food choices and the importance of exercise, all with the aim of promoting body positivity.
While it may be taboo to talk about limiting carbs, sugar and processed foods in order to keep weight off, it is not off-limits to discuss healthy food choices and taking care of our bodies. We need to teach our children to appreciate their amazing bodies and all that they can do.
Guiding our kids to make wise food choices from a young age will help them to learn how to maintain a healthy body weight as adults. The best way to do this, is by exampling good choices in the foods we buy and prepare for them.
1. Keep it Lean
Lean proteins, such as grilled chicken breast, lean ground beef, turkey and fish should feature prominently at meals. Skip fried foods or items covered in high-calorie cheese. Instead, boil, grill or shallow pan-fry your proteins to keep them as ‘clean’ and healthy as possible.
2. Keep it Fresh
Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables most of the time, using cooking techniques of steaming, grilling or baking if you want heated versions. There is so much natural sugar in fruit, especially, that there is no need to add more. Doing so teaches our taste buds that sweeter is better and natural is bland – this leads to a craving for more and more ‘sweetness’ as time goes by. A great tip is to always have fresh cut or chopped fruit and veggies on the kitchen counter after school or before dinner when kids are hungry. Having these foods on ‘display’ and nicely presented, makes it much more likely that children will pick at them, rather than reaching for processed snacks.
3. Sides, Sauces and Snacks
Good quality dairy, salads and whole grains are perfect side dishes or snacks. A teaspoon or two of hummus or smashed avocado on the plate adds a healthy fat and tasty dip for kids who are not great vegetable eaters. Capsicum, cucumber, raw cauliflower, snow peas, carrots and wholegrain crackers offer a variety of colours, textures and flavours to snack on. Avoid creamy sauces and dressings and go for salsa, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs and lemon juice to provide flavor instead. Choose healthy items, such as unprocessed cheese sticks, fresh fruit, veggie ‘chips’ or yogurt as snacks.
4. Reduce Temptation
Try to limit the amount of tempting sweets and processed snacks that are kept in the house. When grocery shopping, read nutrition labels and stick to the perimeter of the store to load up on fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy dairy products. Avoid the bakery and the aisles containing the processed, high-calorie snacks and chocolate. Include your children in the shopping and cooking process and make healthy choices according to their tastes. Teach your children about 'fun foods' or 'sometimes foods.' These (often) sugar-loaded foods have little or no nutritional value and should be consumed infrequently.
5. Get Kids Involved
Teach your kids to pack their own school lunches, making healthy choices. Be sure to have wholesome options on hand for them to choose from or go over the school lunch menu with them ahead of time and help them learn which items are more nutritious choices. Encourage your child to ‘eat the rainbow’ in the variety of healthy foods they consume. When attending a school party, contribute a kid-friendly snack such as grapes or baby carrots with dip - so they have alternatives to the sugary treats and junk foods usually on offer. The more often an adolescent can avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, the faster he/she will achieve a healthy size.
6. Avoid Extremes
Fad diets and skipping meals may seem like an easy way to lose weight, but these strategies cause a child to miss out on nutrients that are critical for growth and development, brain function and energy. Help your child to learn to eat all foods in moderation. It's okay to have a slice of birthday cake occasionally – as long as you make healthy choices most of the time. Set a good example by modelling these behaviours. Discourage second helpings.
7. Tune In
