You could explain again and again how eating too much
sugar can lead to health problems like obesity, tooth decay and lately,
childhood diabetes, but that doesn’t mean children will fully understand
why snacking on sweet treats can be a problem.
At
this point, some mothers have realized that you can't force some meals
down a child's throat without them wanting their own choices especially
when they are at an age where they develop a sense of individuality and
certain adversions to some foods.
A
new campaign from Public Health England is urging parents to limit
snacks for children to two a day, and 100 calories a piece. The aim is
to reduce kids’ sugar consumption as children eat an average 10kg of
sugar every year, with about half of this coming from sugary drinks and
snacks.
This is
definitely an important initiative, but any parent will tell you that
getting little ones to swap candy bars for carrot is no easy task. This
is another major reason why most parents would choose sweet, junk food
over a healthy alternative because healthy food come with the stress of
preparing it. Parents would rather just let the child have his or her
way than having to contend with the resulting tantrums.
Although,
encouraging children to eat healthy snacks isn’t as easy as A B C, that
doesn’t mean it’s an impossible feat. Here are some tips on how to make
it less of a labour:
Eat healthy as a family
Children
learn from what they see adults doing, so it is important that parents
also make healthy choices. So, if you haven't started eating healthy,
then for the sake of your young ones, the time is now.
Apply
the same rules to everyone in the family, and the children won’t be the
only ones learning a valuable lesson. Research shows that children who
participate in frequent family meals are more likely to eat fruit and
vegetables, and they have more healthy eating habits overall that can
continue in adult life,hence preventing the trends of obesity and other
diseases.
Be creative
You’ve
heard of Mothers grumbling about how their kids don’t eat enough
vegetables and instead pick all the greens out of their plate. You can
avoid this problem later by taking the right step now to introduce your
baby to a wide range of foods!
Variety
goes a long way to achieve this. There are only so much fruits and
vegetables that anyone can eat before it gets boring, so you will need
to get a bit creative with the snacks on offer. You do not have to go
over the top with Instagram-worthy creations either.
Instead of just having single snacks to hand, get a couple of alternatives ready.
Seeing
how most children love cartoons, bright colours and interesting
textures will do the trick, as well as pairing already well-liked
flavours with new tastes. The idea is to give them the autonomy to
choose and to positively influence their choices.
Introduce full meals
While
snacks are easier to target through public health campaigns, remember
that reducing sugar consumption should be done holistically. If half of
childrens’ total sugar consumption comes from sugary items and snacks
then it is obvious that meals account for the other half or even far
less. Start thinking about introducing wholesome meals into their diets.
Make sure they also have some amount of fruits daily by choping/slicing
them into bite sizes, infusing them in their foods or making juices
from the fruits.
Avoid sugary drinks
Parents
hear over and over that even seemingly "healthy" drinks, as identified
on their labels, can often hide numerous teaspoons of sugar in them.
While fizzy drinks are generally regarded as the most unhealthy options,
store-bought fruit juices and smoothies aren’t as healthy as they seem
either. Replace these fruit juices with homemade juices or beverages.
Also, make smoothies with fruits or veggies and yogurt.
Flavoured
water and soda can also contain sugar so that leaves plain water as the
best option for children to drink. Encourage drinking of water by
having some yourself. Though many kids will say they don’t like the
taste, adding a squeeze of lemon or orange, or infusing a large jug with
mint and strawberries will help change their minds.
Don’t forbid but do control
As
research has repeatedly shown, forbidding foods makes them even more
attractive for children. In fact, the power of forbidden foods is so
strong, it has even been suggested that it works on healthy foods, such
as fruits.
The
occasional biscuit or chocolate bar will not jeopardise a child’s eating
health habits, so long as it is just one or two every once in a while.
As a rule of thumb, try not to keep sugary snacks in the home, avoid
offering them if the kids don’t ask for them, and limit the quantity
offered if they do. Keep in mind that the 100 calorie recommendation is a
rough guide to help parents quantify sugar. Nuts, for example, are a
healthy snack choice but a portion size is often more than 100 calories.
Preferably,
place a bowl of sliced cucumbers, carrots and other colourful fruits on
the dinning area on a weekend when everyone is at home. Also, explain
to them why it is important to have these healthy foods, as teaching
them about their own health will work better in the long run than just
saying no without explanation.
Kicking
the sugar habit may be tricky to begin with, but following these simple
advice, as a parent or an expectant parent, will help make food a
positive experience for you and your little ones. Please share your
experiences and the dos and don'ts in feeding your little ones as well
as your expectations in the comments below as this could be inspiring
for other parents as well. Thanks!
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