Children who develop healthy eating habits early in life are more likely to carry these into adulthood. This provides a strong motivator for parents to set an example and enjoy the benefits of a good diet. Here are some tips to help your family eat well.
Chuck out the junk – Clear the fridge and pantry of junk food and replace with healthy snacks like fruit, vegetable sticks, yoghurt, vanilla custard, lean ham, baked beans and breakfast cereals. If there’s no junk in the house, it ‘s harder to eat it!
Go for the basics – Make sure you always have bread, cereals, fruit, yoghurt, cheese and other healthy staples on hand. When you run out of these, it’s easy to turn to fast food.
Involve children in meal preparation – Spark their interest in healthy food by getting them to help prepare it. Home-made pizza, shish kebabs and tacos are examples of hands-on meals that kids can help with.
Serve more vegetables – Present a variety of colourful vegetables in salads and at dinners.
Eat at the table – Where possible, eat at the table with minimal distractions. Slow down the eating experience so you’ll also be able to catch up on the day’s events.
Ask for food – Have children ask for food, rather than going straight to the fridge. They may be bored and not hungry.
Make fruit accessible – Place the fruit bowl in clear sight and keep it well stocked with a variety of fruits. Make this the place to go for a snack.
Try new foods – Buy a new fruit or vegetable each time you do the grocery shopping. By presenting a wide variety of healthy foods, you increase the chances of finding favourites.
Talk about food – Have positive conversations about the great taste of favourite fruits and vegetables.
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