child-led eating
Posted
Oct 02 07 12:03pm by
Teresa J.
A friend once told me that she does not believe in making children finish everything on their plates. I have to say that I agree; it seems to me that kids forced to eat everything in front of them will only lead to adults behaving the same way. We all know that portion sizes in restaurants (and at home) are far too large and that eating everything on your plate could be disastrous for the balanced diet.
All that is not to say that children should be able to walk away from the table without eating at all, but that they should be taught to make healthy choices in reasonable portion sizes. With parental guidance, a child should be able to learn good eating habits early on.
5 Tips for Great Eating with Kids:
1. Make a chart to follow with your health food guide requirements for children printed out on it. kids will have fun checking off each meal on the chart (perhaps on an erasable board.)
2. Let kids cook too. That'll entice them to eat, as they'll feel a sense of pride in what they've made. It'll teach them about healthy choices and portion sizes too.
3. Eat at the table instead of scarfing food down in front of the TV. It'll spark conversation among the whole family and it'll help each family member take note of how much they are eating.
4. Have fun food nights, like Italian Night or Mexican Night (build a taco-what's more fun?) Be sure to make healthy choices and have fun with it; learning is so much easier when it's fun. Let the kids help with shopping for these special nights.
5. Fruit & veggies! Start 'em early and hope they love 'em and keep 'em as part of their diet into adulthood.
child-led eating
Posted Oct 02 07 12:03pm by Teresa J.
A friend once told me that she does not believe in making children finish everything on their plates. I have to say that I agree; it seems to me that kids forced to eat everything in front of them will only lead to adults behaving the same way. We all know that portion sizes in restaurants (and at home) are far too large and that eating everything on your plate could be disastrous for the balanced diet.
All that is not to say that children should be able to walk away from the table without eating at all, but that they should be taught to make healthy choices in reasonable portion sizes. With parental guidance, a child should be able to learn good eating habits early on.
5 Tips for Great Eating with Kids:
1. Make a chart to follow with your health food guide requirements for children printed out on it. kids will have fun checking off each meal on the chart (perhaps on an erasable board.)
2. Let kids cook too. That'll entice them to eat, as they'll feel a sense of pride in what they've made. It'll teach them about healthy choices and portion sizes too.
3. Eat at the table instead of scarfing food down in front of the TV. It'll spark conversation among the whole family and it'll help each family member take note of how much they are eating.
4. Have fun food nights, like Italian Night or Mexican Night (build a taco-what's more fun?) Be sure to make healthy choices and have fun with it; learning is so much easier when it's fun. Let the kids help with shopping for these special nights.
5. Fruit & veggies! Start 'em early and hope they love 'em and keep 'em as part of their diet into adulthood.