30 January,2017 09:57 AM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
Here is a list of 10 healthy food habits that every mommy and daddy should pass on to the toddlers
Feeding your child must be the most gruesome or tiresome work of the day. Running after the little ones with a bowl of rice, wiping their mouths after every bite, changing clothes after the meal is over; cooking variety of food items to understand what they like to eat, etc etc. may take a lot of your leisure time. However, guiding your children towards healthy eating habits can reward them with better health and lifestyle in future. Also, developing healthy eating habits in children can help them get accustomed every form of environment. Here is a list of 10 such healthy food habits that every mommy and daddy should pass on to the toddlers:
1. Let your children eat by themselves and do not worry about the mess they create while doing so. Eating all by themselves ensure that they eat the exact quantity required to satisfy their hunger. Also, eating alone is better than no-eating.
2. If you think hygiene is not a concern, then let your baby try outside food, definitely, the healthy ones, like salads, soups, fesh juices, wheat noodles, to name a few. This is because like adults, children do like change in their regular diet or meal types. As they will grow up, this simple habit will also help your kids to eat happily whatever is available to them wherever they go.
3. Keep your food innovation on by cooking something new everyday. It can be different snack items or different lunch and dinner menu. This will help to find out what your child exactly likes to eat. For example, instead of giving cut fruits everyday, make smoothies, juices or shakes. Also, instead of boiled vegetables, prepare a tasty vegetable soup or mix the veggies with rice for a different taste and wholesome meal. Garnish the dishes differently so that they look tempting and children quicks grabs it. Remember, children takes time to adapt to a new meal type.
4. Feeding at proper timings with right portion choices is a mandate. This is because children may not eat much at a time. After all, their tummies are as small as they are! Maintaining food timings during the initial days of parenthood is helpful because this helps parents to understand when their kids are getting prepared with hungry stomachs. Try to feed small portions at frequent intervals and do not over-feed.
5. Make sure you prepare a protein rich diet that includes non-vegetarian items also like eggs, fish and meat. This will lead to a balanced meal filled with both animal protein and vegetable protein. This will make children will eventually develop a taste towards vegetarian and non-vegeterain meals.
6. Teach your child to eat all types of vegetables including bitter gourd, pumpkin, and beetroot. Children have a habit of nagging when it comes to vegetables like ladyfingers, bitter gourd, pumpkin, bottle gourd, to name a few. Try to make some innovative dishes with these boring vegetables so the little ones can relish their meals instead of nagging.
7. Keep the child engaged with toys and let them play while feeding. If you mommies think this process works, then there is no harm in doing so. This will actually help to finish off the meal on time and keep the little ones satiated for a longer duration.
8. Discourage eating or snacking while watching TV or video games. Instead, try to feed them in specific areas like dining room, kitchen or in the kid's room. Making the children sit in front of the TV while eating may either lead to over eating or insufficient eating.
9. Let children eat slowly and ensure they chew the food rather than swallowing. This will result in proper digestion, prevent hiccups, and detect fullness. Wait for a while before offering the second, third and consecutive servings and check that their mouth goes completely empty before offering the spoon.
10. Eat together as a family to let little ones get accustomed to a pleasant home dining. This will make children to eat slowly, enjoy the meal and finish off the food on time. Eating together as a family makes eating fun for kids rather than a stressful job.
Finally, make sure that your house is loaded with variety of healthy and vitamin and mineral infused food items like green vegetables, colourful fruits, eggs, lean meat, fresh fish, milk and milk products like yogurt, cottage cheese and curd, nuts, oatmeal etc. Keep the unhealthy choices like canned juices, aerated drinks, frozen food, burgers, and chips at bay to guide your tiny tots towards a healthy eating habit from their very childhood.
