Tips on how to teach children to eat healthy food

One's quality of life is often determined by one's health. That is why it is so important to encourage their children to develop healthy exercise habits. It is also important to teach them how to eat healthy food. The key to achieving this is to make good choices on behalf of the children when it is time to eat.

As adults, it is therefore important to help our children eat healthy. However, whether they will see certain foods as healthy or unhealthy depends entirely on how parents have been as role models.

If you do not know how to teach your children good, healthy habits, you can always follow these recommendations:

1. Involve them in cooking

Let your children participate in the cooking by first purchasing the ingredients and then cooking the food together. In this way, they also become more aware of what they eat.

You can also give young children two healthy options so they can choose what they like best. In addition, you can have them in the kitchen and offer them to cook some very simple recipes .

2. Let them discover the origin of the food

In addition to taking the kids to the store to see what food is on the shelves, you can also take them to a local food market or farm. The experience of picking fruit, milking animals and getting their own food will surely change their perspective. A good and easy tip you can immediately arrange is to get a small garden for cultivation at home.

3. Prepare healthy snacks

If your children always find plenty of healthy food in your kitchen, they will also get used to it. Therefore, make sure the food you want them to eat is readily available. Some excellent alternatives include fruit pieces, carrots, crispbreads and nuts.

4. Remind them to drink a lot

In addition to having a good and balanced diet, it is also important for the body not to become dehydrated. Eating healthy therefore also means drinking plenty of water  as well as freshly squeezed fruit juices or smoothies.

So be sure to capture every opportunity to introduce your kids to both healthy new foods and drinks.

5. Start by being a good example and showing healthy habits

What your children prefer in the food path depends largely on what you think of yourself. Therefore, try to teach your eating habits from the fetal stage. When the whole family then goes out to eat, you can try to choose more well-balanced alternatives and also increases the chance that the children will do the same in the future. Being a good example is one of the best ways to motivate your children to a future, good lifestyle.

6. Be determined and consistent

Children must test new foods several times before they can appreciate them. If they do not like the food the first time they taste it, then try to find an alternative way to cook or serve it. Avoid giving up just because the child refuses to eat the food the first time you serve it. Maybe it will go better another time.

“The biggest cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease, and this is undoubtedly due to poor living habits. The next cause is cancer, and it is already well documented that nutrition plays a major role in this disease as well. "

- WHO, World Health Organization -

7. Serve reasonable amounts of food

You must also consider the age of the children before placing a full plate in front of them on the table. Never insist that children eat everything on the plate when serving food to them. Focus solely on the fact that they eat healthy foods, and that they get enough of their total nutritional needs .

8. Prepare meals at home

Much of the ready-made food and semi-finished products that you can buy in stores and restaurant chains are unhealthy. They contain a lot of added sugar and harmful fats that you can avoid by cooking at home. If you do not have time to cook every day, you can always prepare larger quantities in advance for the coming days.

9. Focus more on the diet in general than on specific foods

Of course, just because children should eat healthy food does not mean that they can never get a burger or hot dog. What matters is that the basis for their nutritional intake is sufficient and that most of the food they eat is healthy. A dessert or sweets can also be included in the  menu .

Take care of your health and your children's health and  help them take responsibility for their own choices. You can give them the necessary basics, but they have to take care of their health in the future.