How to promote healthy eating habits?
Offer different types and a wide variety of healthy foods such as whole grains, dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables to your child.
Don’t just stick with one cereal or pulse type. For example, don’t just stick to chapathis made out of wheat flour, include chapathis or rotis made out of jowar, bajra, rajgira and ragi. Make dals out of toor, channa, moong and other dals.
Keep your pantry or a common place where your child has easy access to stocked with healthy and ready to eat foods. A fruit salad cut and ready to eat in small containers or roasted peanuts in small portion sizes are some foods ideas that can help your child grab a healthy snack on his way to play.
Avoid giving them aerated drinks and fruit juices that contain a lot of sugar. Instead, offer plain water or water that has been infused with lemon or orange wedges or herbs.
Junk foods such as pizza, burgers, cakes, and candies should be given occasionally and not on a regular basis.
Early childhood is when healthy attitudes, behaviours and feeding habits are developed. And these usually last for a lifetime. So, as a parent, you must ensure that your child follows at least 5 good eating habits, such as choosing different types of foods to eat, drinking enough water, eating independently, avoiding the TV while eating, and eating mindfully.
Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Includes a variety of protein foods such as seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), soy products, nuts, and seeds. Is low in added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol.
