HOW AM I AFFECTING MY KIDS EATING HABITS?
As a parent, you play an important role in shaping your children’s eating habits.
You have a big influence over the family environment where meals take place and the types of foods your children eat. Positive experiences about food early on may help your children develop healthy eating habits later in life.
For instance, providing fruits for snacks and serving vegetables at dinner can shape a preschooler’s eating patterns for his or her lifetime. Past research has shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of obesity. Previous studies also have established that children learn to like and eat vegetables at a young age – before they turn five years old.
You, as a parent, need to continuously remind yourself of the importance of choices you make as your kids may not think eating healthy is important if they don’t see you doing it.
Am I doing the right thing?
Of the below, what habits do you keep?
- You keep Junk food off of your fridge, freezer, cupboards and pantry.
- You have your meals and snacks at scheduled times.
- When at home, you eat together as a family.
- Water is your family’s No. 1 drink.
- You avoid soft drinks, and for refreshments you have fresh juice.
- You eat foods from all food groups—milk, fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, fish and beans.
- You carefully choose your “sweet after dinner” dessert and opt for healthy options like fruit and yogurt.
- You do not use food as a reward or punishment.
- Your ways to handle stress don’t include eating.
It ‘s never too late to start a healthy lifestyle, in fact it is highly recommended to start as soon as you realize your choices aren’t optimizing your kids eating habits.
You can make a difference!
Join us in our pursuit to to promote awareness and change for positive and healthier habits in Children
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