Kids love to eat whatever of their favorite snacks that they can get a hold of. These snacks can be anything from sweet – like chocolates and candy – to salty – like potato chips and other junk food. Then when the big meal arrives, pizza, fried chicken, and burgers are popular choices.
While all of these types of food are delicious, they are not necessarily the healthiest – and keeping your kids healthy can be very rewarding in the long run. Eating healthy foods now can help insure that they won’t have to suffer from the problems of obesity and other health risks as they grow older.
However, the healthiest foods are not always the most appealing to kids and that is one of the biggest challenges that parents face as they try to keep their children on the healthy path. But if you act now and have a little patience and consistency, you can get your kids to appreciate the healthy foods without forcing them.
Start with Cereal
Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day and having a nice healthy breakfast can provide the energy that these kids need to stay active and sharp. This is necessary for play and even more important when going to school. Many cereals have been fortified with lots of the vitamins and minerals that kids need. It does depend on the box of cereal so be sure to check out the nutrition facts on the side. Don’t be afraid to get the cereal that your kids like, because it is possible to find some that are healthy. Many cereals can beat junk food any day and milk always does a body good. Adding some fresh fruits and vegetables makes the breakfast more complete, and can serve as a nice introduction to healthy snacks.
Pack a Healthy Lunch
While there are some appealing and healthy foods being served in schools, you can always make sure by preparing your children a nice and healthy lunch yourself. Sandwiches are the most popular packed lunch and happen to be very customizable, so you can always start there if you feel lost. If you really want to think healthy, make sure the lunch covers the entire food pyramid. This means that you should have grains, like wheat bread, and then the fruits and vegetables that you think your child will enjoy, along with some cold cuts for the protein. You will have to do some experimenting so you can figure out their favorite meals. Once you do, sticking to these meals is good especially if they are healthy, but you can also try to come up with other healthy meals to keep things varied.
Introduce Healthy Snacks
Potato chips and other fried foods are okay once in a while because they are kids after all, but that shouldn’t stop you from offering them healthier snacks like popcorn or nuts. You can even try to make vegetables and snacks look more fun by preparing them in creative ways so they will be more attracted to eating them.
Finally, do some research for good recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacking so you can keep your kids both happy and healthy.
