The world today faces a serious problem of obesity amongst children. The reasons are many and are primarily found in the fast-paced lifestyle that most cities around the world have come to adopt. Consequently less time is spent monitoring children and what they eat. In fact out of limited time millions of parents actually indulge their families in unhealthy eating such as snacks and fast foods. The end result has been a rapid and unprecedented prevalence of obesity amongst children. This is particularly true in America, Australia and even New Zealand.
Most parents and care-givers are today looking for effective methods of introducing healthy eating amongst children. This is in an attempt to avert impending disaster as projected by credible studies. These studies show that the current generation might live shorter lives compared to its parents if nothing is done to change the dreadful eating habits. Consequently, there is renewed and rather urgent interest amongst parents and care-givers to get kids eating healthy again.
Getting your kids to eat healthy takes dedication and determination. The following are some approaches you might consider;
Prepare meals together – this is one of the most recommended methods. Depending on your kid’s age, you can do a meal from scratch starting by going to the farmers market or your back garden to pick fruits and vegetables. This can be done every weekend or set day which becomes family tradition. As they see you going for specific ingredients they will learn the importance of those ingredients in relation to their health.
Be a pace-setter – As a parent or care-giver you have the responsibility to “show-the-way”. You essentially do this by making it your lifestyle of always making a conscious effort to eat healthy and do regular exercise which indicates the importance of keeping healthy to your kids. Kids tend to be extremely observant so much that they develop a sense of importance by observing what adults do. This is a double-edged sword in that your kids may easily follow bad eating habits from school or elsewhere unless you show and inculcate the good ones.
Reward good behavior appropriately – there are many opportunities to reward your kids for good behavior. Some parents would ordinarily reward their kids with a day out at the mall at fast-food outlets. You may elect to do things differently by rewarding your kids with a healthy meal. This again teaches them the importance of healthy eating.
Getting kids to eat healthy will essentially be a journey or de-learning what they have learned over time about food. This will need to be replaced with a positive attitude and benefits that will accrue to their health by eating healthy.
