Tips to Encourage Healthy Eating For Kids

I was horrified yesterday during a trip to the supermarket. I saw an 8-10 year old boy arguing with his mother to get a small carton of a well known cola drink included in the family's shopping trolley. Nothing special about that but guess what - he was way overweight.

That lead me to think about the issue of parental responsibility and healthy eating for kids.

Many parents seem to find it easier to give into the nagging and whingeing of our children - I know I do at times. Instead we let them to dive into the world of processed foods, soft drinks, fizzy drinks and unhealthy fast food at an age where they are incapable of making good decisions about their eating.

One of the main reasons our children choose these unhealthy foods is because they have the magic ratio of salt, fat and sugar to make them taste good.

However, as we know there are plenty of good healthy foods that taste great as well. You just have to try them in order to see. If you are not sure you want to go to all that effort - and pain - with the children, just consider what we would be doing for them. I'm sure you want them to grow up and live long healthy lives?

The key is to get them started on the right foods early on, is to set a good example and to educate them about food and nutrition. If you eat good foods, you set a great example for your children. Unfortunately, if you can't set a good example, then your kids are unlikely to take you seriously.

This means they will most likely not want to eat whole grains, fruits, or healthy vegetables either.

So if you can, develop healthy eating habits at an early age, it will make it much easier to keep them eating healthy in the future. These early years are a critical time in their lives. Think about this when you are feeding your children each day. You are molding them to some degree.

What should you eat? Well, if you are trying to get healthy eating started in your home, here are some foods you should move toward.

• All fresh vegetables and fruits are recommended. The reality is you should be consuming four to six servings of these each day. Most people do not do this, but try and eat as many as you can.
• Healthy eating for kids also involves these foods whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice.
• Oatmeal or wheat biscuits make wonderful breakfast foods for kids.
• Avoid white breads and other white or highly processed starchy foods that break down as refined sugars in your body. They are mostly empty calories. You don't want this, since it will lead to major weight gain over time.
• As for beverages, the primary drinks your children should embrace are water, low-fat milk and real fruit juices. Soft drinks are horrible for your body, as are many fruit juice products out there these days.

Fast food should be a rare treat! We call it "sometimes food" here at home. If you enjoy fast food, try to eat it only once each month. If you are considering healthy eating for kids, you should certainly steer clear of fast foods.

So have a think about your role in your child's food education and their future health and ask yourself - am I doing enough?

Henk Vos is a qualified medical laboratory technologist. He has an avid and practical interest in food, weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. Visit his site http://www.LoseWeightFastSuccess.com for down-to-earth unbiased reviews of diet plans that help you to lose weight fast.

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