How to make child eat healthy food?

Eating habits are often set in the first few years of life, when it is vital that all the child’s nutritional needs are met. How can you make sure that your child grows up to be strong and healthy?

You can encourage your children to adopt healthy eating habits by setting a good example. Taking a positive attitude towards nutritious foods makes you a good role model: by introducing a variety of delicious healthy foods to your children, you will be helping to establish eating patterns that will last for a lifetime.

Do’s and Don’ts: Encouraging Good Eating Habits

• Set the example you want your child to copy with your own eating habits. Share mealtimes and eat the same healthy dishes.

• Discourage snacking on junk foods. Keep a plentiful supply of healthy foods, such as fruits, raw carrots or cheese, which children can eat between meals.

• Allow your children to follow their natural appetites when deciding how much to eat.

• Encourage children to enjoy fruits and vegetables by giving them different varieties from an early age. Aim for five portions a day.

• Invite children to help prepare food at home. With so much convenience food available, many children may never learn to enjoy cooking, and so rely on ready- made foods.

• Don’t discourage a sweet tooth. If you don’t add unnecessary sugar to drinks and foods, the chances are that the children will never miss it.

• Don’t condition children to eat extra salt by sprinkling it over foods and salads.

• Don’t give skimmed or semi-skimmed milk to under-fives; they need the energy provided by the extra calories in whole milk.

• Don’t give whole nuts to children under four years in case they choke. Peanut butter and ground nuts are fine as long as the child is not allergic to them.

• Don’t use lectures about the ‘starving millions’ to try and persuade children to eat, or force them to eat more than they want.

• Don’t make children feel guilty about eating any type of food.