Healthy Habits: Creating Healthy Eating Habits in Your Children

Getting children to develop healthy eating habits may be tedious. It may even take a lot of skill and perseverance just for them to taste one serving of vegetables. Unhealthy eating habits can turn kids into picky eaters, and worse, may cause weight problems and even obesity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents for the past 30 years, and it is still increasing at a rate of about 10% a year. These facts should be a wakeup call for parents to start teaching their children about making healthier food choices as early as possible. Eating habits are actually learned behaviors, and whatever kind of habit they develop during childhood, they’ll eventually stick to as an adult. Here are some ideas that can help you curb your child’s eating habits into healthier choices:

Encourage them to eat smart in school

One of the steps you should take when it comes to your child’s nutrition is knowing first hand what are the food choices offered in their school lunch program. If you think it they are serving foods that aren’t nutritious enough, you can opt to provide packed lunches for your child as an alternative. You can also challenge your child to identify their day’s meal choices, and teach them to decide if those choices are healthy options or not. This will get them in good practice on selecting and making nutritious food decisions. When it comes to vending machines at school, you can teach them to save their pocket money for buying nonfood items such as pencils or books, instead of candies and sodas.

Don’t ban junk foods

Limiting the consumption of processed foods is better than prohibiting it all together. If you try to forbid foods high in sugar and calories, kids may tend to devour all the sugar they can find outside of the home. Allow them to eat sugary snacks once in a while, and if they ask for more, try to steer them to healthier snack choices such as trail mix, raisins and mixed nuts.

Avoid buying bulk-sized packages of unhealthy foods

When it comes to shopping for kids’ treats, avoid buying junk foods in bulk. Instead, pick out those with the smallest packages available. Kids will be highly tempted to consume all the sweets and junk foods they can, particularly if they are in large bags or boxes.

Promote fruits and vegetables

Serve at least one healthy item your child is likely to eat at every meal. Limit the amount of starch in their meals -- such as potatoes -- and offer more fruits and vegetables. Try to encourage them to try out new foods as well. Don’t be discouraged if they stubbornly turn away some foods, such as strained peas and broccoli, especially toddlers. It takes time for them to get accustomed to the new taste and texture, so keep on encouraging them.  Eventually, they will develop a taste for healthier fare. 

Make substitutes available

Most people like food variations, and for children, it takes longer for them to realize the variety that is available to them. Some kids tend to stick to one food item alone, and they insist on eating it all the time. Try to encourage them to choose other foods by substituting them with something that has similar tastes. For example, if they like chocolate, offer them some chocolate milk.  At least they’ll be getting their calcium. Orange-flavored candy can be substituted with orange juice. You get the picture.

Start with small portions

Educate your child about healthier food choices by letting them choose what they want to eat. Offer them a small bowl or plate, and allow them to choose the serving size on their own. Encourage them to take small servings at a time,  and permit second helpings only if they are still hungry. This will teach them to understand portion sizes and how much they should actually eat.  Much of the childhood obesity problem these days has to do with the amount kids eat, and not so much what they eat.

Refrain from using food as a punishment or reward

It can be tempting to use food as a punishment or reward, but this will do more harm than good. This could create an uneasy relationship with food in your child, and may leave them an impression that junk food and sweets are more valuable than other foods since it is being used as a reward. Withholding food as a punishment can also lead to problems, such as worry and anxiety that they’ll get hungry if they don’t get a favorite treat. Again, this puts a premium on unhealthy foods. Your child needs to eat, regardless of his/her behavior, so don’t hold food hostage as a means to correct behavior. 

David Novak’s byline has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the country.  He’s an expert on health, wellness, diet and exercise, and he’s frequently featured in regional and national health publications. He is also a weekly writer for Healthline.  To view his other stories on Healthline, visit http://www.healthline.com/.