One of the best gift you can give to your child is to develop their taste buds to enjoy many flavours, not just sugar, salt and fat.
Healthy food and balanced diet strengthen your child’s brain, bone development and build strong immune system, It also helps them maintain healthy weight.
Kids may need exposure to a food 10 to 20 times before they decide to eat it. It can take another 10 to 20 tries before they determine if they like it. So if your child rejects something, try again in a few weeks, experts says.
The most powerful way to send healthy food messages to your children is by letting them see you make healthy eating choices every day. Children tend to do what they see you doing.
Many parents insist that kids to clean their plates in order to get dessert. Instead, we should encourage them to learn to recognize their own internal hunger and fullness cues.
Perhaps your child is overweight. You could feel tempted to make some foods completely off-limits, but “forbidden” foods are a draw for kids, and they tend to overeat these foods whenever they get the chance.
Few points to note:
- Introduction of variety of food at an early stage would help them to become a good eater not the picky eater
- Turn the TV off while eating
- Balanced meal, eat 5 or more colours a day
- Limit intake of junk food
- Drink enough water as per their body needs
- Eat slowly and enjoy the food
- Allow the child to eat on their own