Get Kids to Eat Healthy

Eating well supports a child’s healthy growth and development. In urban living Singapore with hectic schedules, getting children to eat healthy food can be an uphill struggle. It is no wonder that kids’ diets are built around convenient and takeaway food. Factor in peer pressure and hard-to-resist junk food, encouraging healthy diets become more challenging. Yet, compromising on healthy diet may have a profound effect on their long term well-being, all the way to adulthood. If you are in the same struggle, it is important to remember that the sooner nutritious choices are introduced to a child’s diet, the easier they develop healthy relationships with healthy food! Here are some tips to get kids to eat healthy food:

1. Choose whole & minimally processed food
   Ideally a plate consists of half plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of whole grain and a quarter of protein. Limit sugar and refined carbs in a child’s diet. Yet it is more important to focus on an overall diet with more variety of food rather than specific food.
2. Take pressure off
   Research has shown that forcing food on kids ends up traumatising them. They will grow up to dislike eating, or dislike certain foods. Coercing food on kids will make mealtime stressful. It is important to keep calm and understand that building a healthy relationship with food takes process.
3. Be a Healthy-Eating Role Model
   Kids are “copy cats”. They learn by imitating adults. If you gorge on potato chips, it is most likely that they will be doing the same. Choose healthy snack for yourself and sit down with them when they eat. Make healthy snacks available
4. Positive view on food
   Parents’ attitude towards food determines kids’ view on food. Serve food family-style with a variety of healthy food where they can choose which to eat from the table. You can also get them involved in fun groceries shopping and making their favourite dish.
5. Cook more meals at home
   By preparing your own meals, you have more control over the ingredients. It is easier to ensure your family consumes fresh and healthy food. Also, when eating at home, we’re less likely to overload our plates, be mindful of the amount of sodium while saving money, too!