Cellojones – Quality and nutritional food is the cornerstone of children’s health and the benefits can be felt for a lifetime. By teaching children about healthy eating and cooking habits from an early age, they will have a positive relationship with food into adulthood.
How to Teach Children to Eat Healthy
Every food that enters a child’s body will have an impact on their health. By understanding it, your little one will be more careful when choosing food to consume.
In addition, you can help teach a number of good eating habits to children, such as:
1. Invite children to buy ingredients
Before children receive ready-to-eat food, take them to the market or supermarket to buy ingredients.
Show them a variety of healthy food choices, such as vegetables and fruit. You can also tell your child that various processed foods are not good for health, so they need to reduce their consumption.
2. Involve children in the cooking process
Children love new things, so ask them to help with the cooking process. This habit not only helps children to want to eat healthy food, but also teaches them to be able to cook independently when they are adults.
You can ask them to clean the vegetables, for example the children are older, starting from 9 years old, give them more complex tasks such as preparing sauces or preparing other food ingredients.
3. Let the child choose his own food and portions
The habit before eating that should be taught to children is to let them choose their own food and portions. If children are allowed to choose their own food and portions, they are more likely to choose healthy foods.
Especially if parents have served a variety of vegetables or fruit on the table. In addition, let them choose their own portions, according to what they need. Parents should try this method of teaching good eating habits a few times to get used to it
4. Explain to children the importance of healthy eating
You also need to explain the importance of eating healthy food to children. Explain that the nutrition from fruits and vegetables can help their bodies grow. Tell them that protein and grains can provide energy for activities.
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5. Ask the child to eat slowly
Ask the child to eat slowly. Explain to them that eating too fast can make it easier to gain weight. A research proves, people who like to eat too fast 115 percent more at risk of becoming obese than those who eat slowly.
6. Teach children to drink water regularly
Sometimes, children forget or don’t want to drink water before or after eating. In fact, water has an important role for health. Remind children consistently to drink water before or after eating.
7. Present one new healthy food recipe every week
So that children don’t get bored with the food menu they eat, make healthy meals with new recipes every week. In addition to eliminating boredom in children, this can also make the nutrients that enter their bodies more varied.
8. Introduce children to healthy snacks
When you hear the word snack, maybe what comes to mind for parents and children is sweet cake or ice cream. We recommend that you try to change the definition of this snack.
Teach children to eat healthy snacks, such as sliced carrots or apples. These good eating habits will keep children from unhealthy snacks.
Benefits of Teaching Children Healthy Eating Habits
Teaching children healthy eating habits not only makes their bodies healthier, but there are many other benefits according to Cellojones, including:
1. Have good nutrition knowledge
Instilling healthy eating habits, introducing healthy food, also teaching children to make healthy food, indirectly makes children more and more insightful. He knows which healthy foods to choose and which unhealthy foods to ignore.
2. Have good and healthy eating habits
By teaching children to eat healthy, they will have good habits that are ingrained in them into adulthood. Such as the habit of washing hands before eating, avoiding excessive sugar consumption, and knowing which foods are good for their bodies.
3. Avoid diseases caused by unhealthy snacks
Children who are used to eating unhealthy snacks are at risk of developing digestive diseases such as typhus, dysentery, diarrhea, and others. In fact, in the long term, unhealthy eating habits have the potential to cause serious diseases such as cancer, obesity, cholesterol, stroke, allergies or diabetes.
4. Build self-confidence
Letting children get involved in the process of cooking healthy food and letting them eat themselves will build a strong sense of self-confidence. So, you need to let your child hold their own spoon, scoop their own food, and decide for themselves the portion and type of food they want to eat.
Conclusion
Teaching children to eat and cook healthy means that you provide important provisions for their future lives. With healthy habits that have been formed early on, they will apply them and return to teach them to their children later.
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