10 Good Eating Habits For children

Day begins and also begins mother’s juggling with various household chores and along with begins a new struggle for setting up meal menu for day.

"What meals to include so that kids get a balanced diet and loves to eat too? If you experience such confusion each day then this article is for you."

Before introducing any good eating habits in our kids, as a parent we need to understand basic food requirements of child. Picture above simply explains the distribution of requisites and smart mommies can plan their meal menu accordingly.

As we have understood the requirements of food for a child’ body, let’s check out  10 good eating habits we should imbibe in our child.

1.Primary Good Eating habit:set up a meal time schedule
First and foremost fix up time of meals and number of meals to be given to child in a day. Most of kids do well with three meals and two or three snack breaks a day.

When your child is used to a schedule, his/her need for food (hunger) will also get more synced. This will help your child feel more in tune with his or her body and prevent chances of overeating or below average eating.

2.Having a Healthy Breakfast
A happy day begins with a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast, even if it’s just a fruit bowl and a glass of milk, kick-starts the day and helps us to remain energetic throughout the day. If you can establish good eating habits in your kids at a young age, this way you can reduce chances of a lot of diseases.

3.Fix up portions of kids diet
Different people require different amounts of food depending on their age, body, activity level and gender. As we know kids are at growing age they require meals which have a right mix of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, fat and fibres. So a balanced diet would be perfect mix of these five essential components.

Taking care of these pointers, we should limit servings of junk food or processed food for our kids.

4.Vegetable and Fruit Bowl-best snacks for children 
Kid’s Diet planner should have lots of vegetables and fruits as they are rich nutrient sources which a child body requires. Mothers have to get smarter with food servings, you can begin with giving child favourite vegetable or fruit and then smartly introduce not so favourites. e.g. – If your child does not eat green vegetables, you can mash them in atta (flour) and make green coloured chapaties. Since they are growing up and require lot of energy for full day activity, they should be given 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables.


5.Have plenty of water and fluids
Water is most vital and yet cheapest drink available, isn’t it? As we know water composition in body is 50-65% therefore it is really essential to drink water in ample amount. Water and fluids help in regulating body temperature and also assist in elimination of wastes. Having appropriate amount of water and fluids, also improves body metabolism.

Fresh fruit juices can be great diet supplements. Please avoid sugary drinks like colas as they add to empty calories only.

6. Child must have a fiber diet
Fibers are very essential part of our meals as they improve our digestion and help in maintaining healthy body weight. Foods like Oatmeal, whole wheat flour (atta with choker), Rajma, Chickpeas or chole are rich in fibre. Nuts and peanuts are good sources of fiber and healthy fats. Eating salads can also be a good eating habit for children as it is a high fiber diet.

7.Introduce new food
Kids love to eat their favourite dishes and it is difficult to make them try new food. But eating same stuff can deprive them of certain essentials. So keep introducing variety in food.

Make introduction of new food/ fruit interesting by innovting in looks. Take a look at this picture.

8.MOm and baby kitchen fun time

Make food time-fun time for your kids, by involving them in preparing food. You can take them for shopping and talk about food nutrition values. It is the best way to have food time bonding. You can also let your adventurous kids take charge of a meal in case they are grown-ups.

It will give your kid a feeling of accomplishment. It would great fun game if your child is a toddler. In addition, children will be keener to eat or try foods which they cook themselves.

Who knows we might have famous chefs of tomorrow in our own house

9.Snacks for children
Snacks are important part of our meal plan. In addition to 3 essential meals kids need 3-4 snack breaks. Continuous snacking may lead to overeating, but snacks that are planned at stipulated intervals during the day can be part of a nutritious diet, without interfering a child’s appetite at meal times. Try making snack time as nutritious as possible.

Don’t get too stringent about good eating habits. Occasional chips or cookies, especially at parties or other social events can be allowed.

10.Meal time  family time

Families should have at least one meal together. Mealtimes become pleasant and food looks delicious when we are together. Kids imitate a lot and they learn lot of things by observing us. If we are relishing food, they will do it too.

You can add fun to this family time by thinking of some games and if not games, this could be the time to talk to each other and share about day.

And last but not least never give up! It might take time to set up these good eating habits, but believe me your patience will pay off. Talk to your spouse and your parents about it. It will further streamline your work and kids will learn faster with collaboration of father and grandparents.