10 Fun Ways To Teach Kids About Healthy Eating

Introduction

Healthy eating has become a choice for humans in recent decades, unlike its original state of necessity. Previous generations have mostly spent their time focusing on tasty, nutritional, home-cooked meals with the family. Now, most of the time, family members eat apart at odd hours.

And the worst part is the food they consume, either packaged or processed, unhealthy takeout foods. Such foods add minimal nutrition to their diet and harm their health instead. Also, eating healthy and nutritious foods is important, especially if one intends to keep up with their hectic modern lifestyle.

 However, eating healthy is not strictly limited to nourishing foods. It also involves certain eating habits that play a major role in nutrient absorption. Therefore, it is ideal to teach kids healthy eating habits from a young age. But how to make healthy eating appeal to modern kids? Here are 10 fun ways to get children into healthy eating.

10 Fun Ways To Teach Kids Healthy Eating Habits

1. Teach Them To Read The Label

Teach kids how to read the labels on the back of packaged foods. Not all packaged foods are bad, and some are actually enriched with nutrients to improve your kid’s health further. But your kids need to learn to identify these products first by reading their labels and determining whether the amounts of macronutrients, micronutrients, and other ingredients are adequate or unhealthy.

2. Portion Control

Portion control plays a big role in healthy eating. Adequate portions of almost all foods are healthy when consumed in moderation. But if your child ends up overeating healthy foods, their health will continue to suffer. Teach them to eat slowly and mindfully. This will help them identify and respond to the satiety signal sent by the brain by stopping eating.

3. Involve Them In Meal Prep

Children will rarely take interest in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains unless you involve them in preparing meals. It can be as small as grating cheese making salads for meals or actually cutting and slicing veggies. This will make them appreciate food more and be more open to trying veggies.

4. Make Them Responsible In The Garden

It is ideal to begin with gardening when teaching kids about healthy eating, as they need to learn the life cycle of plants, fruits, and veggies to appreciate their food fully. Once kids start growing their own plants, herbs, and vegetables, they will at least attempt to eat them.

5. Model Healthy Eating Habits

Kids do not listen to their parents, and they emulate them. So, you and the rest of the family need to model healthy eating habits, like timely meals, healthy food choices, and portion control, for them to learn.

6. Let Kids Make Some Choices

Let your kids make some choices regarding meal preparation with a twist. Make a bowl full of chits of different alphabets. The first letter they pick will be the vegetable for dinner, the second is the meal preparation for protein, and the third is for the fruit in their dessert. This will keep kids intrigued and engrossed in fun, healthy eating.

7. Swap Their Favorites For Healthier Alternatives

Since you cannot stop kids from liking pizzas and burgers, swapping their fast-food selves for healthier, homemade alternatives is ideal. Try making their favorites at home by making some nutritious changes, like making a multigrain or cheese and cauliflower crust for pizza.

8. Try Food Variations

Try making different foods at home. Do not repeat dishes unless you absolutely have to, two days in a row. Try to repeat meals at least till a day or two has passed in between. This will keep kids open to trying nutritious foods at home without boredom.

9. New Food Days

Make each day of the week a different food day. Assign two nights a week for new recipes and foods. For example, Mondays and Fridays can be new food days, while Tuesdays are for parathas, Wednesdays for pulao, Thursdays for dal chawal, and weekends for various continental cuisines. This will keep kids intrigued and eager for every meal at home.

10. Start A Reward System

Start a reward system for food at home. For example, your kids may have a target of eating 20 vegetables a week. Every time they eat one, they get a sticker to keep track of. Once the target is hit, they get extra play time, a visit to the amusement park, or other privileges. This positive reinforcement will keep kids hooked on healthy eating. It will also integrate good food habits in kids in the long run without them realizing it.

Conclusion

Healthy eating may sound tedious, but it can be easily made fun and accessible at home. All parents need to do is stay patient and be creative. Your kids will automatically traipse to the kitchen with a hopeful, famished look on smelling delicious scents if you try this guide