Healthy Eating as a Family
By Rachel Shouse
There are so many lessons parents try to teach their children. Kindness, generosity, and strength to name a few. Beyond that, parents also aim to teach their children how to take good care of their bodies. It's important to take the time to teach your children about nutrition. Teaching children about why their bodies need nutrition, what foods are best for them, and how to enjoy an occasional treat are all very important.
Take It One Step at a Time
It's hard for anyone to make changes. Especially when it comes to something you may enjoy as much as food. Some people aren't that attached to food while others may even be addicted to it. While neither extreme may be your case, it may still be a good time to learn about nutrition and your body so that you can teach your children about theirs.
Why Your Body Needs Healthy Food
A great way to explain to children why healthy food is important is by using a metaphor. Tell them to think of a car. If you put bad gas in your car it's not going to run as well. But if you fill it up with premium, it could not only help your car operate better now, but also could clean out other areas over time. Nutrition is the same way. People eat because they need to fuel their bodies.
While the whole lesson around nutrition is rather rigorous, keep it simple. You don't need to worry about what exactly is in each food and what it does. That'd be good to learn in the future, but it's not something worth stressing about when you're trying to make big changes within your family.
Make Healthy Recommendations
It's far easier to buy a bag of apples than it is to get kids to eat them. Some kids do well eating their fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Other kids will fight until the sun comes up. If you have a child who hates healthy food, try having them help you prepare a meal. Sometimes doing the work makes them appreciate it and give it more of a chance then if it's just handed to them.
Schedule an Occasional Treat
Although having your kids eat healthy is amazing, they're still kids. It won't hurt them to enjoy some ice cream or other form of dessert. So don't think you have to say no to every fast food request or pizza night. It's great to have treats now and then. What's better about teaching them this way is that you're teaching them self-control and moderation.
Those lessons are far better than not allowing them to have any treats at all. Adults struggle to do that so expecting a child to do so is a bit unrealistic. Just teach and guide them. Be consistent and set a good example.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Monrovia, Calif.