How to Raise Nutrition‐Smart Kids
Talk to your kids about the importance of healthy eating., Show your kids what a healthy plate looks like., Replace unhealthy, sugary drinks., Teach that some foods should be enjoyed in moderation., Emphasize portion control., Make healthy food...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Talk to your kids about the importance of healthy eating.
While you don’t want to bore your children with food lectures, you should make healthy eating a common conversational topic in your household.
No matter what age your child is, you can talk about how the food you put into your body affects you.Tell your children that fruits and vegetables help give us vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that keep our bodies strong.
Talk about how lean sources of protein help give us energy and keep us strong.
Explain that sugar in large quantities can cause problems for your teeth and bodies.
That’s why it’s important to eat it in moderation. -
Step 2: Show your kids what a healthy plate looks like.
Talking about healthy eating is as important as showing your child examples of what healthy eating looks like.
Fill a plate with the components of a healthy meal.
Half of it should be filled with vegetables, while the other half should contain lean meats and whole grains, like quinoa.Showing your kids an example of a healthy plate can give them a concrete example to follow as they make their own plates.
In the grocery store, show your kids examples of different vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains.
This helps them see the options they have for filling their plates. , Many beverages that people consume are unhealthy.
They are filled with sugar, calories, or chemicals.
Instead of letting your child drink sodas, sugar-filled juices, or sports drinks, teach them to drink water and milk.Squeeze some lemon or lime in the water, or get a pitcher where you can infuse whole fruit into the water, like strawberries, kiwi, or melon.
Talk to your pediatrician to find out what type of milk is best for your child.
Whole, low fat, and skim each have certain benefits depending upon your child's needs.If you let your children drink juice, make sure it is 100% natural juice.
Even this juice contains a lot of sugar, so limit your child’s intake to four to six ounces daily. , Try to avoid calling foods “good” or “bad.” Instead, help your kids learn that all foods can be eaten in a balanced diet.
However, some foods should be enjoyed in moderation and are not foods you eat every day.
This helps prevent your children from feeling like they are missing out, but also keeping them from eating junk foods every day.For example, don’t tell your kids that french fries and donuts are “bad” foods.
Instead, tell them they are “sometimes” foods that should be enjoyed occasionally, not every day or every week. , How much of a food we eat is as important as what we eat.
Teach your children to think about portion size when they eat.
Instead of heaping grains onto their plate, tell your kids to spoon out an amount the size of their fist.
The amount of protein should be around the size of their palm.
Even fruits should be limited to balanced portions.
Non-starchy vegetables can be heaped on their plates.Teach your child to look at serving sizes on containers.
You can also think about teaching them what half a cup of fruit or grains looks like or a few ounces of protein.
Useful vegetables to help round out any meal include, artichoke, asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, mustard greens, mushrooms, okra, onions, peppers, radishes, salad greens, squash, tomato, and others., Your children will eat what you have in the house.
If you have fruit, vegetables, hummus, or nuts available for snacks, your kids will eat those.
If your cabinets are filled with junk food and sweets, that’s what your children will reach for.Keep healthy snacks in easy to reach places for your kids.
Place apples or bananas in a bowl on the table or put baby carrots on a shelf in plain view next to hummus. , If your child wants fried, sugary, or unhealthy foods, suggest a similar, healthier food instead.
This helps your child eat a food similar to what they want, but teaches them how to make healthier choices that still taste great.For example, offer kale chips or salsa or guacamole with baked tortilla chips instead of potato chips.
If your child wants candy, try fruit dipped in dark chocolate.
Consider substituting frozen yogurt or sorbet for ice cream, or even cottage cheese with pineapple and dark chocolate chips. , While you may have had to clean your plate when growing up, your child doesn’t have to do the same.
Forcing children to keep eating though they’re full can lead to overeating.
Instead, teach them to stop eating when they are full.
You should also help them to learn how to fill their plates with the correct portion size.If your child doesn’t finish their meal but wants a snack soon afterwards, choose meal-like snacks, like hummus and vegetables or small pieces of meat.
Talk to your child to make sure they are eating enough at dinner and not trying to get away with snacking later. -
Step 3: Replace unhealthy
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Step 4: sugary drinks.
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Step 5: Teach that some foods should be enjoyed in moderation.
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Step 6: Emphasize portion control.
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Step 7: Make healthy food available in your home.
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Step 8: Suggest healthier alternatives.
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Step 9: Avoid making your child clean their plate.
Detailed Guide
While you don’t want to bore your children with food lectures, you should make healthy eating a common conversational topic in your household.
No matter what age your child is, you can talk about how the food you put into your body affects you.Tell your children that fruits and vegetables help give us vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that keep our bodies strong.
Talk about how lean sources of protein help give us energy and keep us strong.
Explain that sugar in large quantities can cause problems for your teeth and bodies.
That’s why it’s important to eat it in moderation.
Talking about healthy eating is as important as showing your child examples of what healthy eating looks like.
Fill a plate with the components of a healthy meal.
Half of it should be filled with vegetables, while the other half should contain lean meats and whole grains, like quinoa.Showing your kids an example of a healthy plate can give them a concrete example to follow as they make their own plates.
In the grocery store, show your kids examples of different vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains.
This helps them see the options they have for filling their plates. , Many beverages that people consume are unhealthy.
They are filled with sugar, calories, or chemicals.
Instead of letting your child drink sodas, sugar-filled juices, or sports drinks, teach them to drink water and milk.Squeeze some lemon or lime in the water, or get a pitcher where you can infuse whole fruit into the water, like strawberries, kiwi, or melon.
Talk to your pediatrician to find out what type of milk is best for your child.
Whole, low fat, and skim each have certain benefits depending upon your child's needs.If you let your children drink juice, make sure it is 100% natural juice.
Even this juice contains a lot of sugar, so limit your child’s intake to four to six ounces daily. , Try to avoid calling foods “good” or “bad.” Instead, help your kids learn that all foods can be eaten in a balanced diet.
However, some foods should be enjoyed in moderation and are not foods you eat every day.
This helps prevent your children from feeling like they are missing out, but also keeping them from eating junk foods every day.For example, don’t tell your kids that french fries and donuts are “bad” foods.
Instead, tell them they are “sometimes” foods that should be enjoyed occasionally, not every day or every week. , How much of a food we eat is as important as what we eat.
Teach your children to think about portion size when they eat.
Instead of heaping grains onto their plate, tell your kids to spoon out an amount the size of their fist.
The amount of protein should be around the size of their palm.
Even fruits should be limited to balanced portions.
Non-starchy vegetables can be heaped on their plates.Teach your child to look at serving sizes on containers.
You can also think about teaching them what half a cup of fruit or grains looks like or a few ounces of protein.
Useful vegetables to help round out any meal include, artichoke, asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, mustard greens, mushrooms, okra, onions, peppers, radishes, salad greens, squash, tomato, and others., Your children will eat what you have in the house.
If you have fruit, vegetables, hummus, or nuts available for snacks, your kids will eat those.
If your cabinets are filled with junk food and sweets, that’s what your children will reach for.Keep healthy snacks in easy to reach places for your kids.
Place apples or bananas in a bowl on the table or put baby carrots on a shelf in plain view next to hummus. , If your child wants fried, sugary, or unhealthy foods, suggest a similar, healthier food instead.
This helps your child eat a food similar to what they want, but teaches them how to make healthier choices that still taste great.For example, offer kale chips or salsa or guacamole with baked tortilla chips instead of potato chips.
If your child wants candy, try fruit dipped in dark chocolate.
Consider substituting frozen yogurt or sorbet for ice cream, or even cottage cheese with pineapple and dark chocolate chips. , While you may have had to clean your plate when growing up, your child doesn’t have to do the same.
Forcing children to keep eating though they’re full can lead to overeating.
Instead, teach them to stop eating when they are full.
You should also help them to learn how to fill their plates with the correct portion size.If your child doesn’t finish their meal but wants a snack soon afterwards, choose meal-like snacks, like hummus and vegetables or small pieces of meat.
Talk to your child to make sure they are eating enough at dinner and not trying to get away with snacking later.
About the Author
Elizabeth Williams
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
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