Good nutrition and a balanced diet will help your child grow up
healthy. Whether your kid is a toddler or a teen, you can take steps to improve
nutrition and encourage smart eating habits. Five of the best strategies
are:
- Have regular family meals.
- Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.
- Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
- Avoid battles over food.
- Involve kids in the process.
But it's not easy to take these steps when everyone is juggling busy
schedules and convenience food, such as fast food, is so readily available. Here
are some suggestions to help you incorporate all five strategies into your
routine:
Family Meals
Family meals are a comforting ritual for both
parents and kids. Children like the predictability of family meals and parents
get a chance to catch up with their kids. Kids who take part in regular
family meals are also:
- more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and grains
- less likely to snack on unhealthy foods
- less likely to smoke, use marijuana, or drink alcohol
In addition, family meals offer the chance to introduce your child to new
foods and find out which foods your child likes and which ones he or she
doesn't.
Teens may turn up their noses at the prospect of a family meal - not
surprising because they're trying to establish independence. Yet studies find
that teens still want their parents' advice and counsel, so use mealtime as a
chance to reconnect. Also, consider trying these strategies:
- Allow your teen to invite a friend to dinner.
- Involve your teen in meal planning and preparation.
- Keep mealtime calm and congenial - no lectures or arguing.
What counts as a family meal? Any time you and your family eat together -
whether it's takeout food or a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Strive
for nutritious food and a time when everyone can be there. This may mean eating
dinner a little later to accommodate a child who's at sports practice. It can
also mean setting aside time on the weekends, such as Sunday brunch, when it may
be more convenient to gather as a group.
Stocking Up on Healthy Foods Kids, especially younger ones, will eat
mostly what's available at home. That's why it's important to control the supply
lines - the foods that you serve for meals and have on hand for snacks. Follow
these basic guidelines:
- Work fruits and vegetables into the daily routine
, aiming for the goal
of 5 servings a day.
- Make it easy for your child to choose healthy snacks by keeping fruits and
vegetables on hand and ready to eat. Other good snacks include yogurt,
peanut butter and celery, or whole-grain crackers and cheese.
- Serve lean meats and other good sources of protein
, such as eggs and
nuts.
- Choose whole-grain breads and cereals
so your child gets more fiber.
- Limit fat intake
by avoiding deep-fried foods and choosing healthier
cooking methods, such as broiling, grilling, roasting, and steaming.
- Limit fast food and other low-nutrient snacks
, such as chips and
candy. But don't completely ban favorite snacks from your home. Instead, make
them "once-in-a-while" foods, so your child doesn't feel deprived.
- Limit sugary drinks
, such as soda and fruit-flavored drinks. Serve
water and milk instead.
By drinking milk, kids also boost their intake of calcium, which is important
for healthy bones. That means 800 milligrams (mg) a day for kids ages
6 to 8 and 1,300 mg a day after age 9. To reach the 1,300-mg goal, your child
could have:
- 1 cup (237 milliliters) of milk (300 mg of calcium)
- 1 cup (237 milliliters) of calcium-fortified orange juice (300 mg of
calcium)
- 2 ounces (57 grams) of cheese (300 mg of calcium)
- 1 cup (237 milliliters) of yogurt (315 mg of calcium)
- 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) of cooked white beans (120 mg of
calcium)
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