3 Tips for Teaching Healthy Snacking to Kids
By Genevieve Cunningham
There's no doubt that you've heard about the struggle between kids and food. It seems like kids love all kinds of food -- as long as it's unhealthy. Chicken nuggets? Sign them up. French fries? They can eat until they're sick. But as soon as you put broccoli or carrots on their plate, they're suddenly too full for another bite. Unfortunately, kids who eat poorly when they're young tend to eat poorly as adults as well. And this can lead to a wealth of health problems! As parents, one of the best things that we can do is to teach our kids good eating habits, and one of the best places to begin is with their snacks. If you need a little help encouraging your kids to eat healthy snacks, take a look at these tips to try today.
Don't Introduce Sugar Too Early
It's a no-brainer to say that kids like sugar. They love it. But sugary snacks certainly aren't on the healthy snack list. The sooner you introduce sugar to your kids, the more likely they are to be addicted and to resist healthy foods. Hold off on the sugar-filled treats as long as you can. And if it's too late, very slowly cut back. Breaking a sugar addiction in kids is hard, but if you want them to eat a healthy diet, it's also necessary.
Cut Back on Flavored Drinks
You really don't want to consume your calories through drinks if you can avoid it. Most of the time, calories through drinks are empty. They don't provide nutritional value and are likely full of sugar. Do everything you can to introduce water to your children as much as possible, even if you have to add a little flavor. Water will be crucial for their development and their health as the years go by. They may fight and protest, but eventually they'll get on board and drink the water.
Set a Schedule
Kids who eat whenever they want aren't developing good habits. You shouldn't let your kids starve, but it's OK to make them wait until a designated snack time to eat. Their bodies will get used to the schedule, and if they don't have an endless supply of food, they're more likely to eat whatever is in front of them. If you're not using a schedule currently, just ease into it. Like anything else, your kids won't like it, but over time they'll adjust and be just fine.
If you're trying to teach kids to eat healthy, it can definitely be a challenge. Especially when it comes to snacks! Kids love the quick, sugar-filled, not so healthy kind of snacks. But with some patience and persistence, you can turn their eating habits around. Use these tips to teach your kids to snack in a healthy way, and you'll be leading them toward better health for the rest of their lives.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Clifton Park, N.Y.