The pizza, burgers, hot chips are so yummy and difficult to
resist for kids. But this yummy taste is certainly turning out to be a big
trouble for the present generation. As the kids are moving away from fresh
natural food and growing closer to fast food. The percentage of obese kids is
rising in all the countries. As an aware parent it becomes our duty to
understand the cause of the child’s growing fondness towards unhealthy food.
The taste is one big factor that pushes the kids towards
fast food but other than that there are some external triggers that we must
identify. The external triggers are the factors that are present outside the
child’s body and pushes the child towards unhealthy food. The external factors could be:
1.
Presence
of unhealthy food at home: If the eating table has unhealthy food options
visible, the child will certainly choose the same. But if we stop bringing such
unhealthy options at home the child will have to look for something healthy that
is available.
Just think!
How often do we eat ice-cream in winters?
How
often do we buy ice-cream in winters?
What is our response when the child asks
for ice-cream in winters?
Does the child ask for ice-cream in
winters?
If
we just ponder about these questions we have the answer to all that’s going in
our mind. When we don’t buy ice-creams in winters and kids don’t ask for it in
winters, this is the solution to all. They know that we don’t have ice-cream at
home so no point looking for it in the freezer. Similarly if we stop buying
unhealthy food they will not look for it at home.
2.
Giving
unhealthy food as a reward for any task that the child completes should be
another big NO. Developing healthy
eating habits is totally in the hands of parents. If we reward a child with
something that is harm to their body then it is not a reward rather it is a
curse to kids. The reward should be something that develops them physically and
motivates. Never reward a child to ease yourself. If a child doesn’t listen to
you and giving away an unhealthy reward to get the things done is the most
despoiled thing. Try to convert the reward into something that develops good
habit in a child.
3.
Increasing
gadget time with extra munching. Eating while sitting in front of the TV or
any gadget is also a big trigger. The kids tend to eat or munch more without
realising the hunger demand of their tummy. The extra chips, biscuits or
cookies munched at this time just adds on to the unhealthy food intake for
kids.
What can we do as
parents?
Parents need to be the role model for the kids to develop healthy
eating habit in kids.
1.
Involve
your kids in menu planning and grocery shopping. The kids should be made an
important part of food planning at home. Encourage them to read the labels of
food items that they pick. Talk to kids at home about the healthy food and how
to choose the same at a grocery store.
2.
Read
Labels: Try to choose the food by looking at label. The rule says:
(a)
Look for fat content per 100 g serve. It should
be less than 5 g.
(b)
Look for sugar content per 100 g serve. It
should be less than 5 g.
Involve the kids in picking up
healthy food by looking at the labels. They will themselves keep back the
unhealthy food because you have given them responsibility for the health of the
family.
3.
Increase
the water intake of the whole family. When each adult in the family keeps a
record of water intake for the whole day the kids will follow the footsteps of
adults. Make the chart visible so that it becomes a family activity. Try to
consume minimum 6 cups of water in a day.
4.
Breakfast
time: “Say good morning to the day with breakfast”. Use positive quotes to
encourage breakfast eating habit in kids. Breakfast is an essential part of the
meal and must not be missed.
5.
Increase
physical activity time: If the children are lethargic in going out and
playing, then the family play time should be encouraged. The kids will be more
excited when the whole family plays together and works towards fitness.
6.
Visible
fruits: The fruits and healthy food items should be visible to kids.
Whenever they feel hungry they will themselves pick it up to eat.
As
a parent it’s our duty to give our child healthy food and opportunities to eat
it. The way we wish to give everything best possible in the world to our
child, the same should be the treatment for healthy food. As an old saying goes
“Health is wealth.” Happy healthy parents make happy healthy children.
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