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Thursday, April 18, 2013

10 Ways to Promote Kids' Healthy Eating Habits

If bad eating habits reign, they can be hard to change  especially when they've become comfortable routines. But by keeping unhealthy foods out of your home, and bringing healthy foods in, it's possible to promote better eating habits, even with the pickiest kids
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Whether you're trying to cajole your toddler to give peas a chance, or attempting to persuade your tween into drinking something other than soda, these below healthy tips  might be worth a try.

  • Once kids get their first taste of crunchy, sweet or salty foods , it's hard to get them unhooked. Because of this, instead of banning these kinds of foods outright from the home, limit the number of treats that kids are allowed to eat each day. That way, kids won't be as tempted to want what they can't have because the food won't be completely forbidden.
  •  Banning a specific food is also a bad idea because if the food becomes available to your child outside your home, he or she might eat it despite feeling full. This can lead to a habit of overeating.
  • Rather than giving kids money for treats at school, make it clear the kids can instead save the money and spend it on non-food items.
  • If parents want to buy a treat or a kind of junk food and bring it into the home, buy the smallest possible package of that food instead of the economy bulk sized packages.
  • Encourage kids to drink zero-calorie beverages instead of sugary juices and soda . To help kids develop a healthy liquid calorie habit from an early age, give your toddler plenty of water and plain milk to avoid getting them used to sugary juice or chocolate milk. If you do give them juice, give them 100 percent fruit juice and water it down, mixing equal parts water and juice.
  • When cooking dinner , always make sure to have one item that the kid likes and will eat. Also, cook a limited amount of the starch dish (just enough for one meal) and cook extras of the fruits and vegetables to encourage seconds.
  •  Eat snacks and meals with your child whenever possible, so they see how much you enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, and make mealtime fun by trying new foods together.
  •  Encourage them to take one serving at a time and go back for seconds only if they are still hungry
  •  Allow your child to stop eating when they feel that they are full, even if you sometimes feel that they have not eaten enough
  •  Keeping to a regular meal and snack time schedule discourages kids from grazing throughout the day, or becoming too hungry in between meals.

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