Raising Healthy Kids:
Kids are precious. Protect them and nourish them properly. As a mom I am very concerned with what my children eat and I try my best to raise healthy kids.
When it comes to pesticides, children are among the most vulnerable. Pound for pound, they drink 2.5 times more water, eat 3-4 times more food, and breathe 2 times more air. They therefore absorb more pesticides than adults.
Teaching your children healthy eating habits early will set them on a path to a healthy life. Most kids love sweets. But there are many ways to make sweets by substituting with healthier ingredients and adding superfood boosters. Thereby making that cookie or a cupcake more nutritious without the kids suspecting that it’s healthy.
It is very important to incorporate healthy foods in children’s lives as well as teach them about their importance. It’s never too early to start. Children are growing and developing rapidly, so their bodies need proper nutrition to support healthy growth and development.
Picky Eaters
Do you have a picky eater who refuses to eat vegetables? Or do you have a child who doesn’t eat vegetables of certain color? Whatever their preference, there is a solution.
The best solution for picky eaters who refuse to eat their veggies is to hide them inside other foods that they are eating. Blending, pureeing and mashing are the best. Smoothies are one of the best ways to get the needed vegetables into your child. First of all, it is a lot easier to drink them then eat them and secondly by mixing in fruits, your child will never be able to tell that there are vegetables inside. If they don’t like drinking smoothies, popsicles are always a way to go.
Other ways to add vegetables into your child’s diet is to do pureed soups. If they don’t like soups, mix that puree with tomato sauce and pour it over pasta, something that most kids absolutely love.
Also, consider adding grated carrots or zucchinis into cupcakes/muffins/cakes.
How To Teach Kids Healthy Eating Habits
The best way to raise healthy kids is to teach healthy eating and to start them young. By young we mean 6 months when you start feeding the baby solids. Your baby has a very discerning palate and of course gravitates more towards foods that are sweet. So making your own baby food with whole foods is ideal as the jarred baby food is not as nutritious as well as contains a lot of water and additives.
By introducing your baby this early to whole foods, your baby will get used to eating this way and know that this is the way real food tastes. As your baby grows, you have to continue feeding him/her well and introducing variety of healthy foods such as quinoa, lentils, beans, bok choy, eggplants, etc. If this is what your child will grow up with they will know and like the healthy foods.
Of course it is inevitable (unless you are planning on putting your child in a bubble) to prevent any sweets or junk food from coming in contact with your child. Also know that it is ok for them to eat cake or a chips from time to time. However, ensure that you tell them that it is unhealthy and has to be eaten in moderation on special occasions. That way your child will be able to distinguish healthy foods from unhealthy ones.
If your child is a lot older and has already developed bad food habits, you can still change that. Remember though, it will take time. The best way to start breaking a bad food habit (such as snacking on chips) is by offering healthier alternatives. Then slowly start lowering the portion of unhealthy foods that your child is accustomed to eating. They will fight you on it, but you have to persevere and make sure you explain to your child the importance of healthy eating as well as ramifications of junk food.
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