No Pressure Ways Getting Kids To Eat Veggies and Fruits
By Jeff | March 15, 2012
Week after week, we try getting kids to eat veggies and fruits but our actual menu consists of mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza.
Some of our kids are growing into these picky eaters and they won’t touch veggies and fruits and prefer only certain foods at certain times.
Does every bite seem like a battle making dinner time stressful? I think most of us can raise our hands.
Many of us try and stay patient believing they will grow out of it but did you know 25 percent of kids don’t outgrow their resistance to try veggies and fruits?
Tips In Getting Kids To Eat Veggies and Fruits
Each week, stock your refrigerator with fresh fruits and vegetables to eat in meals or as snacks. And don’t be afraid to try something new. If you’re not sure how to prepare a food, you can always find information in a cookbook or online.
Here’s a good rule for eating fruits and vegetables and it is a fun way to get your child involved. They should eat a rainbow as often as possible. If they’re eating all different colors they get the nutrients they need. For example, they could have a banana at breakfast, carrots and blueberries with lunch, grapes for an afternoon snack, and potatoes and broccoli for dinner.
A great way to made vegetables less scary is to keep serving it to them and gradually allow them to smell, touch and taste it and be prepared to try each night. If they are having a real hard time try not to push it or get too frustrated. Keep serving it to them day after day.
Another great tip is to cut back on snacking during the day. Even if you are serving healthy snacks throughout the day try and limit those snacks especially in the hour before mealtimes so that their appetite is preserved.
One Last Thought On Getting Kids To Eat Veggies and Fruits
The best option when buying fruits and vegetables is to buy fresh. If you can’t get something fresh, the next best option is frozen. Avoid buying these items in a can if possible because the preservatives defeat the purpose of eating healthy.
I have also found that fresh veggies taste a whole lot better so your kids might be more willing to eat them.
It is also wise to buy as much organic produce as you can. Organic foods are free of pesticides and are much better for you. Yes, organic is more expensive but you’ll save money in the long run. If your kids are eating healthy you’ll have fewer visits to your child’s doctor and their chances of developing an illness, like diabetes, will be much less.
Do you have some no pressure ways that have worked for you and your kids? Leave a comment below and share your experiences of no pressure ways getting kids to eat veggies and fruits.
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Topics: child nutrition, Children, dads, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, moms, Parenting, Parents | 4 Comments »
The No-Nag Way To Have Healthy Eating For Kids
By Jeff | March 12, 2012
There really is a no-nag way to have healthy eating for kids in your house. You will always have picky eaters in your house but if you make healthy eating “normal” then there is no reason to nag.
Google the word “diets” and you’ll find a plethora of the latest fad diets that guarantee to make you lose weight and keep it off. I discovered at least 45 different diets on one Web site alone that each promised the results you want.
The truth is, diets don’t work. People tend to think of diets as a temporary change. Cut out carbs now and once you lose 20 pounds you can eat carbs again. Diets make people feel hungry and deprived so once they end their diet they start eating bad foods again. Most people end up gaining all the weight back plus some.
Healthy Eating For Kids By Way of a Life Change
I am not advocating a diet for your child. I am promoting a life change. You’ve got to train your child to start having a different outlook on food. We shouldn’t completely deprive them of the foods they love, but those foods should be eaten in moderation.
My family has adopted a “cheat day” each week when we indulge a little and enjoy either pizza, ice cream, or another food we love. It gives us something to look forward to after a long week.
Healthy eating needs to become a habit for your children. It needs to be the norm in your household. It’s not a temporary change but a lifestyle change.
But eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to eat rice cakes and raw broccoli all the time. There are a great number of foods your child can eat and love and I’m going to tell you some of the delicious options to start making your family healthy.
Let’s take a trip through the supermarket to restock your food supply.
It’s best to do most of your shopping along the outer borders of your grocery store. You should spend most of your trip in the produce section. Here’s a starter list of all the fruits and vegetables you could and should be buying.
Fruits
- Apples
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Vegetables
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Green, red, yellow, orange
peppers
There really is no nagging involved because everyone in the whole family will be eating them consistently.
Again, there will always be picky eaters but the more everyone enjoys these delicious foods the more likely even your picky eater will start eating them.
The goal should be to get our kids to eat as much vegetables and fruits they can while not forcing them to eat every bite. We want there to be healthy eating for kids long-term.
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Topics: child nutrition, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, Life, moms, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Colorful and Healthy Meal For Kids
By Jeff | March 8, 2012
My wife made this colorful and healthy meal for kids and I wanted you to know about it. She was about to put the ingredients all together in the pita bread but I snapped a photo from my phone with a few seconds to spare.
It’s really neat to see that all of this food is alive and colorful! It’s not cooked and most of it isn’t processed. The kids love all the colors and seriously, it’s more fun to look at than something brown and blah right?
I’m not huge into sharing recipes but I couldn’t resist with this one. Who knows, maybe I’ll start listing all our healthy recipes!
Check Out This Healthy Meal For Kids
What you see in the picture below is for three pita bread sandwiches.
Here are the ingredients for our healthy Veggie Pita Bread Sandwiches:
- Pita bread
- Hummus
- Spinach leaves
- Green pepper (thinly sliced)
- Red pepper (thinly sliced)
- Cucumber (diced)
- Carrots (shredded)
- Tomatoes (diced)
- Shredded cheese
Instructions:
Slice pita bread in half and toast it for five minutes in the oven or toaster oven.
Spread hummus on top half.
Layer spinach on hummus.
Spread remaining ingredients evenly on bottom half of pita.
Combine pita halves and eat like a sandwich.
Other Items Included In This Healthy Meal For Kids
As you can see from the picture we also include fruit on the side with this meal and this particular day we used peaches which seem to be a great combination with these particular vegetables.
You can use other fruits though. I know what you’re asking. Did my kids actually eat this?
The answer is yes! Sometimes it’s a challenge but both our kids eat it. One of my kids dumped the vegetables out of the bread first. She ate them separate.
My other child ate the fruit first and then nibbled for a good while. Eventually she ate it all up though.
I really don’t know what it is about colorful meals like this but there’s no way you can be in a bad mood when you eat it.
Give it a try and see how your kids react. You can even get them involved and help you prepare the meal which is always fun.
We also advocate taking your kids to the grocery store with you to help you pick out all the colorful fruits and vegetables.
For now, take this healthy meal for kids recipe and try it out soon.
Topics: child nutrition, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, Life, moms, Parenting, Parents, recipes | No Comments »
Easing The Way To a Healthy Kids Diet
By Jeff | March 5, 2012
It’s really great to know many parents are wanting to transition to a healthy kids diet instead of the typical meal plan many families have today.
As you start to change your child’s diet, they will most likely show their disapproval in one way or another. They may even behave like some children I know and force themselves to vomit.
A parent’s job isn’t easy and there’s no guarantee this will be easy either. They will fight for what they want. But you are stronger both physically and mentally. You must be determined to win the battle.
Moving Slowly To a Healthy Kids Diet
Don’t be too hard core, though, especially in the beginning. Show some grace and remember that the change should be gradual. Slowly give them more healthy foods and less of the foods that aren’t good.
And treat them with respect to tell them what you are doing. That doesn’t mean you give in to their protests. But they will more likely appreciate your decision if they know what to expect in advance.
Talk to them about why you are changing their diet. Explain the food facts you’ve already learned from this blog on a level they can understand.
Get them involved in the process. Take them to the grocery store with you and ask which healthy foods they’d like to try. Allow them to help you prepare the food too.
Healthy Kids Diet Tips
Make a rule in your house that they must eat at least one bite of everything on their plate. Consider their opinions about foods, but just because they don’t like something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it again. Each time you make it, have them try it again. After awhile they may start to like the foods.
When you say no to certain foods, don’t let them change your mind. Let your no be no. No more sugar-packed breakfast foods. No more highly processed snacks. No more fast food.
It doesn’t mean they can never have those foods again, but until you’ve started seeing some changes in their health and habits, they should be avoided. And if those foods are eaten, they should always be in moderation.
No parent wants to feel like they are the cause of their child’s obesity or health issues. But if not the parent, then who?
If you feel you are contributing to your child’s lack of health, now is the time to change. Now is the time to show them how much you love them. Hold their hand and don’t let go. Start planning for a more healthy kids diet today.
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Topics: child nutrition, child obesity, childhood development, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, moms, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Kids Fitness Programs Don’t Need To Be Complicated
By Jeff | February 28, 2012
Kids fitness programs don’t need to be complicated by having a bunch of adult type exercises and activities. It just doesn’t work.
I’ve talked with lots of parents and they all have one main concern about all the books, videos and kids exercise programs in the community.
Why Many Kids Fitness Programs Don’t Work
They are way too complicated and basically watered down adult exercises. Have you tried getting your young children to stay active continuously for more than 10 minutes?
They get bored very easily and I couldn’t imagine sending my children to a gym program or boot camp. Don’t get me wrong, these programs I feel are good for some situations such as extreme child obesity cases.
I even like some of these adult type programs for kids if they are older and are committed to getting in better shape for a particular sport. That’s all cool.
Back to the whole class type structured program though. It doesn’t work in my experience. The other day I experimented and tried a quick three set exercise program with one of my kids in the living room.
Squats, push ups and supermans was the program. I made it fun, explained every movement clearly, but guess what? Even though she was excited to exercise with daddy, the newness wore off and she was done after only one and a half sets. She did like the stretching part at the end of our cool down, though.
Kids Fitness Programs Can Be Fun and Easy
Parents and I agree in that kids fitness programs don’t need to be a scientific undertaking. As a parent, you don’t need a personal trainer’s license, educational credentials and you don’t have to be a great teacher.
You just need to be you!
Youth fitness can occur in your home, in your yard, at the park and wherever else you can have fun.
I have come up with some kids fitness programs for my kids and I want to share a really fun one with you. This particular one was designed for kids ages six to eight, but a two year old could easily participate.
Beanbag Race
This exercise improves balance, cardiovascular system and concentration.
Several children can enjoy this racing exercise together. You will need a beanbag for each player.
With tape or string, make a large circle or make two lines several feet apart from each other. Each child should stand at the starting line with their beanbag.
Instruct the kids that when you say “go” they should run to the finish line with the beanbag balancing on their head. They are not allowed to use their hands to hold the beanbag. If the beanbag drops, they are to stop immediately and place the beanbag on their heads before they continue.
You may also choose to let the children crawl with a beanbag on their back. Whoever successfully crosses the finish line with the beanbag on their head or back, wins the game.
A child can play alone and race against the clock. He may want to try it over and over to beat his own time.
You see! Kids fitness activities don’t have to be complicated and you don’t need to hold a degree in anything.
As a parent, you have the best chance to get your kids more active. Kids fitness programs can be lots of fun and all you need to do is plan a few activities each week.
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Topics: Children, exercise, Family, fitness, Health, Kids, kids exercise, kids fitness programs, kids health, Parenting, Parents | 2 Comments »
Kids Health Topics Parents Don’t Talk About (But Should)
By Jeff | February 27, 2012
Nobody likes to talk about negative things especially when it comes to kids health topics but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t bring up this one.
I personally know an overweight child whose diet basically consists of chicken nuggets, fries, and sweets. Fruits, whole grain breads, and vegetables (except for corn from a can) are out of the question.
Picky Eaters Top of Some Parents Kids Health Topics
A lot of kids are picky eaters, but this is an extreme case. As a baby and young child, he would cause himself to gag and throw up if he was forced to eat any healthy item.
His parents want to do right, but after years of struggle they feel helpless. And now it just seems easier to comply with his wishes instead of fighting him. I understand this is a hard situation for the parents, but what kind of future does this leave for the child?
It’s easy to think of the here and now and tell yourself that a cookie or one fattening cheeseburger won’t hurt. But the treats start to pile up and you begin to see a problem. A few times giving in has now become a bad habit, for both you and the child.
You’ve got to think about your child’s future. Do you want them to live long lives? Do you want them to be able to play with their own children one day? Do you want them to live a life pain free, out of hospitals, and without medication? Of course you do!
Parents Can Tackle Kids Health Topics With Confidence
Just as a child needs you to hold their hand as they cross the street, they need you to lead their eating habits. A child may struggle with you in the road. They may want their independence and try to fight to be free. But, it is for their good if they hold your hand.
You love them too much to let them walk across a busy street alone. Why? Because they could die.
The same is true with eating. You have to make the right choices for them to keep them alive. The early years are the most crucial in every way. That is when we learn the most, when we are shaped by our surroundings, and when habits are formed.
If your child continues on the path they’re on now, what do you see in their future? Will they be healthy or will they likely develop diabetes, have high cholesterol levels, or acquire one of many food-induced diseases.
If you fear the latter is true, you’ve got to do something now to change that. You’ve got to put your foot down now.
Do you struggle in this area of kids health? Leave a comment below and tell me about your experiences.
Nutrition for kids is just one of the many kids health topics parents can struggle with and we need to encourage one another.
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Topics: child nutrition, childhood development, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Top 5 Ingredients To Avoid In Healthy Kids Meals
By Jeff | February 24, 2012
I’ve done a ton of research and found the top five ingredients to avoid in healthy kids meals and for that matter, all your meals.
Let’s take a look at bad ingredients. I’m going to go into detail for each one to explain why it’s so bad. If you have food items I haven’t listed and you’re not sure whether or not they’re good for your kids meals, look to see if they include any of these ingredients.
Avoid These If You Want Healthy Kids Meals
- MSG or Monosodium Glutamate. This beastly ingredient is an extremely harmful flavor enhancer. It is a neurotoxin and an excitotoxin that not only makes you addicted to foods, but also promotes cancer growth.Cancer cells exposed to MSG become more mobile and spread. The scary thing about MSG is that it’s well hidden. Most people look at an ingredient list, don’t see Monosodium Glutamate, and happily purchase the item, thinking it’s healthy. But MSG has many names. If you see any of these ingredients, you are consuming MSG.
- Natural flavorings
- Dextrose
- Guar Gum
- Soy Sauce
- Gelatin
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Yeast Extract
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable
- Protein (HVP)
- Glutamate
- Glutamic Acid
- Modified food starch
Have I gotten your attention yet? This is not even the full list! It’s hard to buy anything pre-made that doesn’t have MSG in it. But do not lose hope. There are a great many MSG-free foods and I will share those with you in another post. For the well-being of your child, you should purchase as many foods as possible that don’t have MSG.
- Corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient has been proven to increase risks of tooth decay, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, heart disease, anemia, and of course obesity.People might think corn syrup isn’t bad because it is made of corn. But corn itself is a grain, not a vegetable, and quickly metabolizes into sugar, skyrocketing blood pressure and straining the pancreas. Corn lacks nutrients the body needs and too much corn instead of other nutritious foods can cause deficiencies.
- Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, NutraSweet, AminoSweet, Equal, and Splenda. Like MSG, artificial sweeteners are also excitotoxins that cause cancer cells to spread.More than 90 symptoms are connected with aspartame consumption, including headaches, dizziness, change in mood, diarrhea, vomiting, memory loss, seizures, numbness, blindness, etc.Aspartame can also trigger illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Attention Deficit Disorder, Lyme Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease to name a few. It is a deadly ingredient that should be avoided at all cost.
It is much better to eat sugar than artificial sweeteners. Get them out of your house, now!
- Enriched flour. When something is enriched it means that natural nutrients have been removed during processing and then new, synthetic nutrients are added, such as metal shavings.Enriched flour is processed differently than normal flour. In the body, it is broken down too quickly and sends too much sugar to the blood stream at one time. Instead of using it as energy, it is stored as fat, causing weight gain.Enriched flour is found in many carbohydrates, including sandwich bread, crackers, cookies, and the breading on chicken nuggets.
- Soy. It may be surprising for you that I’ve included soy on this list. Soy beans in their purest form are not harmful. What makes soy products harmful is all the processing they endure.Most soy is genetically modified. Also, when processed, estrogen hormones are added to soy.These hormones can speed up a child’s growth progress, causing permanent damage to the endocrine system (which consists of the thyroid, pancreas, ovaries, testis, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, pineal gland, hypothalamus, and thymus gland).
Children who eat a lot of soy reach puberty earlier. Boys are at a greater risk of testicular cancer and girls are at a greater risk of breast cancer. The manganese in soy can cause brain damage in babies and too much soy can lead to ADHD or aggressive behavior. Are these enough reasons for you to avoid soy?
After seeing this list of ingredients which should be avoided in healthy kids meals, I now want to give you the ingredients of a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget. All of the bad ingredients I listed above are in bold along with a few others.
White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starchmodified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.
Even if something’s not highlighted above, that doesn’t mean it’s good to eat. Just five grams of the deadly chemical TBHQ will kill you. And Dimethylpolysiloxane is made of silicone and used in silly putty.
Healthy Kids Meals Are Possible
For your child to be healthy and lose weight, it is important that you have this knowledge about food. There is so much more evidence that supports why these foods and ingredients are bad for you. It could take years to compile all the information and
put it in book form.
At this time you may be wondering … Well, what is my family going to eat? It can be discouraging seeing the long list of harmful foods. But do not give up hope. With the problem, there is a solution and you will learn all about it from this blog.
I am here to help you. Improving your child’s health is a process. It’s just like cleaning out a closet. Before you can really organize and clean a closet, you first have to make a big mess. We’ve just made the big mess and now it’s time for clean up.
Preparing healthy kids meals is a great way to get started.
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Topics: child nutrition, child obesity, childhood obesity, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, moms, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Possible Kids Junk Food Items In Your Pantry And Fridge
By Jeff | February 21, 2012
There are possibly a multitude of kids junk food items in your pantry and fridge and I want to share a few of them with you. Not for the purpose of making moms and dads feel bad, but to inform you of what I found out during my research.
In no way do I think you are a bad parent if you have any of these items currently. Maybe there’s one or two foods on this list you didn’t know about and that’s why I’m writing this post.
Take this list, go to your kitchen and set aside everything you own on the list. Don’t worry. You won’t have to trash it all today. I will tell you which items are the worst as far as weight gain and should be trashed immediately and which ones you can continue to eat until you’re finished.
It would be wise, though, not to buy any of these food items again if you can help it. Look at your food labels and become familiar with which foods have lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners and do everything you can to avoid those items.
If they are high up on the list of ingredients, they shouldn’t be bought again. Let’s get started.
Kids Junk Food In The Pantry
- Cookies
- Sugar cereals for kids
- Fruit roll-ups
- Pop-Tarts
- Donuts
- Muffins
- White bread
- White rice
- White potatoes
- Chips
Kids Junk Food In The Fridge
- Frozen dinners
- Frozen pizzas
- Cookie dough
- Non-organic salad dressings
- Bacon
- Hot dogs
- Pre-packaged deli meats
I know some of you may be shaking your heads at me but I bet there’s a few of you who already know some of these items are not healthy and hopefully this will motivate you this week.
I would personally trash donuts, candy, cookies and snacks with more than 15 grams of sugar per serving today and tackle the rest of the list when you can.
Replace Kids Junk Food With Healthier Snacks
I don’t want to sound like a broken record to you but I would be doing a disservice to you if I didn’t give you a list of healthier foods for your family.
My list above was a bad of the bad list. Of course I’m going to recommend fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and avocados because they are super healthy for the whole family.
I’m not a big processed food fan but here are a few alternatives to consider.
How about some organic peanut butter crackers? They are pretty low in fat and only have three grams of sugar per serving.
My kids are big fans of other snack foods like raw almonds, organic fruit bars and organic yogurt.
There are a lot of healthy alternatives we can use instead of the typical kids junk food items and as parents we have the power to make those buying decisions.
Topics: child nutrition, child obesity, childhood obesity, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, moms, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Toss The Kids Junk Food – You’ll See a Change
By Jeff | February 17, 2012
You’ll see a dramatic change in your child’s health once you toss the kids junk food and replace it with nutritious meals and snacks.
Unhealthy foods for kids consumed over time can cause quite a bit of toxic build up in their systems.
Detoxification – or detox for short – is defined as the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body and additionally can refer to the period of withdrawal during which an organism returns to homeostasis after long-term use of an addictive substance.
In order to break the addiction to food and remove toxins from your kids’ bodies, you have to eliminate the junk they’re eating on a regular basis.
This is the core for having a healthy child. Obviously, the primary cause of childhood obesity is the food children put in their mouths. What is not so obvious to many parents is what truly is bad and what isn’t.
That’s what this post is about, to help you identify junk. With a little common sense we all know eating fast food every day is not a good idea. And we know a lot of cookies, cupcakes, and such are bad for the body. But the list of bad foods is much longer and we need to cover it all.
Less Kids Junk Food Equals Less Sickness
Once your kids stop eating the unhealthy foods and consume beneficial foods, you will see a big difference. Not only will they start to lose weight if needed, they will become more active, more alert, and they’ll get sick less. They will have more confidence in their abilities and they will be in a good mood more often.
The nutrients from good foods affect kids physically, mentally, emotionally, and physiologically. Healthy eating is better for them all around, both in the present and the future.
The best way to help remove toxins from your child’s body is through their drinking. They must drink water, water, and more water. Each day allow them to drink milk, maybe one small glass of juice, and the rest should be water. Drinking a lot of water flushes toxins from the liver, bladder, kidneys, and colon.
Kids Junk Food Culprit #1 Is Drinks
The easiest way to lower calorie intake is through beverages. You may see your children lose weight just by eliminating sodas or sugary juices from their diets. And please, PLEASE don’t give your children diet drinks because they contain a terrible substance called aspartame that is incredibly harmful. We will talk more about aspartame later.
Drinks are the easiest items to eliminate. I’m not saying you should throw away all your sugary drinks immediately. But let your child know that once they are finished with what you have, you will not be buying those items for awhile.
In my next post I’ll talk about which kids junk food items I suggest you toss and even explain a little about the harmful ingredients found in certain foods
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Topics: child nutrition, child obesity, childhood obesity, Children, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, kids weight, moms, obesity, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »
Food Addiction Eliminated With Better Kids Eating Habits
By Jeff | February 15, 2012
Food addictions can be broken, but your child will need your help but before you know it your kids eating habits will improve.
Just as the brain is trained to love unhealthy foods, it must be trained to love healthy foods. This is a process and can’t be changed overnight.
Kids Eating Habits Can Dramatically Improve
If you know your child is addicted to food, you will have to gradually change their diet. Start by cutting off one large temptation, such as lunches at fast food restaurants. Continue to give them some of the foods they love while incorporating healthy foods into their diets.
I will touch on this more, but you don’t need to feel like a marine corp officer and completely change their eating habits by this evening’s dinner. It is a process and no addict can be expected to change instantly. Remember that a food addiction can be as serious as a drug or tobacco addiction.
I once heard someone say about smoking, “I know it can kill me, but I don’t care. I love it too much.”
Many people feel the same way about food. The addiction must be broken. Willpower and a few rules must be instated to do so. You have to realize that the food your child loves so well is killing them.
Would you rather your child live a long life or die early just so they can eat bacon and biscuits every day? You must admit that a long life is the desired choice, both for you and your kids.
Here are more tips for how to help your kids overcome their addiction. As I listed above, slowly incorporate healthy foods into their diet. Tell them what you are doing beforehand.
If they are old enough to understand, sit down with them and talk to them about the difference between nutritional and bad food. Explain how a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins will give their body all it needs to grow strong and feel good.
On the contrary, bad foods cause them to feel sluggish, sick and will not give their body the fuel it needs to function properly.
It may help to keep a journal with or for them and record all the foods they like or don’t like. Begin a rule in your house that they must take at least one bite of everything you offer them.
It’s a common belief that if you continue to try a food, after seven times you’ll start to like it.
Improved Kids Eating Habits – Stay Strong
Your child will likely whine, throw a fit, stomp their feet, refuse to eat, or act out in another negative way. It is easy to want to give in to their wishes. But, please, for their sake, do not. They need you to stay strong and do what is right for them.
A proverb says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child.” Children do not know what is best for them, they only know what they want. You, on the other hand, know what’s best for them.
Show them love by not just giving them what they want, but what they need. They will appreciate it as they grow up.
If you remain strong and help with your kids eating habits, you will see their addiction broken. What a victory that will be! You can then be proud as a parent and know that you did the best thing you could for your child. You showed them true love and care.
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Topics: child nutrition, child obesity, childhood obesity, Children, Family, Food, Health, Kids, kids diet, kids health, moms, obesity, Parenting, Parents | No Comments »