7 Tips To Keep Your Kids Away From Junk Food

Overview

One of the most known fact is that growing children need to eat .Your little one ‘s diet plays a major role in them growing healthier and happier. Hence , a healthier mix of all the right nutrients fed at the right time will make a great change to their health and their healthier eating habits.

But in spite of building healthier eating habits, the child’s harmless mid-day and evening snacks get in the way of them practising a completely healthier diet . Read along to learn about the tips you could bring in to change it.

How Do Kids Develop Preferences for the Wrong Kind of Food?

Kids today are much aware of the various choices available for them in the market catering to their taste buds.They see ads being played on the TV, while playing games on their parent’s phones , they see fancy toys offered at some of their favourite fast food restaurants.

Healthy food and fresh produce aren’t exactly marketed towards kids. They might know how eating healthy will keep them healthy , but when their favourite cartoon characters are endorsing a sweet treat made of artificial colors , sweeteners and other additives , we could make a guess on what type of food they would prefer!

Also , parents can pack some of the healthiest foods in their kids lunch boxes. But kids will still be on the lookout for something easier and tastier to eat, and they will have a preference for new flavours or food choices. Unhealthy snacking will just undo all the benefits their healthy meals offer them , so it is wise to curb the unhealthy snacking methods as soon as possible.

Ways to Curb Unhealthy Snacking in Kids

Your little one might be indulging in more than their fair share of unhealthy eating practices. Here are some tips to keep them away from junk food.

 Start young

The first step towards starting a healthy food habit is teaching children about healthy and junk food right from childhood. Knowledge and habits imbibed from childhood could last a lifetime. Whenever you choose to introduce a new healthy food into your child’s diet, explain it to them.

When your child sees someone eating food you wouldn’t want them to consume, explain why it is unhealthy for them. For example, you could tell them carrots are good for eyesight, milk has calcium for bone growth, and instant noodles aren’t healthy because of additives and other food adulterations.

Break the monotony

If you have been preparing the same food every day, your child might eventually get bored and crave appetising junk food. Add some new and different kinds of healthy foods into your child’s diet , and also make it look appetising with different colours and shapes. The more variety of foods you provide your child at home , the less they are going to crave those junk foods outside.You could also bring in different cooking methods with a single fruit or vegetable such as banana as a milkshake, as a fruit , salad, as a whole wheat bread etc.

Follow a set routine for meal times

Eating three meals a day should be standard routine in all the households , we do know that we would most likely sneak in some foods in between them.So , this practice wouldn’t be any different for your kids either , the best way is to set a routine snacks time also .

 This way, your child would have to wait for the right time to eat mid-day snack. Don’t refuse to feed them outright, as it will be difficult for them to adopt the eating habits; even if your child is actually hungry before the set snack time , feed them with fruits or salad. This could satiate them without a sugar high till it’s time for the snacks.

Be a good role model

Children always learn by observing , it could be parents , neighbors or teachers , so to encourage your child to follow healthy diet , we need to set a good example by following a healthy diet and avoiding junk food slowly . 

If your child looks at you consuming healthy food, they will surely follow and ask for the same. Also , have a discussion with the child’s grandparents and relatives to be on board with your dieting plan and restrict unhealthy foods by promoting healthy eating habits and foods.

For example, when eating out, look for a healthier choice over unhealthy ones like burgers, pizza, and pasta. If you are craving some delectable noodles, try to prepare them from scratch rather than buying instant noodles.

Stop using junk food as a bribe 

Your child shouldn’t be seeing high-calorie, unhealthy foods as a reward for doing things. You might want them to clean their room or finish their homework, but if they are going to believe that there are chocolates waiting for them after they finish their tasks , they might end up thinking that such goods are okay to consume as long as they act in your best interests. Surely, that’s not the message you would want your child to take away.

Take your child shopping with you and buy only healthy foods

Involving your little ones in the process of grocery shopping, reading food labels, and shopping for healthy foods with them could help them understand the process of healthy eating habits. Avoid shopping for pizza , soups, food additives, and instant noodles. Read the food labels with your child when shopping for groceries, and also teach them to check for ingredients and expiration dates.

If there are more than five ingredients on the label, there is a huge likelihood of the food being highly processed, so avoid purchasing it. This food shopping experience will empower your child to make confident decisions on healthy foods from a young age.

Make sure his other habits are just as healthy to complement his eating habits

Kids need a healthy sleep pattern and healthy food as much as possible. Poor sleep disrupts them from thinking and managing their cravings by messing up their timings of appetite, controlling and suppressing hormones, ghrelin and leptin , making them hungry at odd times.So , a couple of hours behind the clock, your child might crave sweet munchies to snack on to perk them up.

Also, they need to be active and, most importantly, kept busy because sitting idle can trigger food cravings, and lack of physical activity can lead to digestive issues. Make sure to keep your mobiles away from them, as watching ad videos could change their minds.

Summary

If your child was born with an affinity towards green leafy veggies over sugary snacks , then you should consider yourself lucky!But more often your child is going to be craving eatables that is of no good to them . Make sure to get them on the right track early on by inculcating these tips in their daily life and then you won’t have to long for the day of theme selves willingly asking for healthy food on their 4pm snack time.

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