Aria Maleki |Healthy Eating Habits for Your Child
Guideline your family's alternatives rather than dictate foods
Make a wide variety of nutritious foods available in the house. Aria Maleki says this exercise will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices. Leave the harmful choices like chips, soda, and fruit juice at the grocery store. Serve normal water with meals.
Motivate your youngsters to eat slowly
A child can detect hunger and fullness better when they eat slowly. Before offering a second supporting or serving, ask your child to wait at least 10 minutes to see if they are truly still hungry. This will give the brain time to register fullness. Also, that second helping should be much smaller than the first.
Eat foods jointly as a family as often as possible
Try to make mealtimes enjoyable with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. Aria Maleki says if mealtimes are distressing, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.
Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals
These actions will give you hints about your children's food preferences, an opportunity to teach your kids about nutrition, and provide your kids with a feeling of success. Aria Maleki says in addition, children may be more prepared to eat or try foods that they help prepare.
Plan for snacks
Constant snacking may lead to unnecessary eating, but snacks that are planned at specific times during the day can be part of a nutritious diet, without having spoiling a child's appetite at meal times. You should make snacks as nutritious as achievable, without depriving your children of occasional chips or cookies, particularly at parties or other social events.