Help your child eat better

Most parents find it difficult to make their children eat more healthy foods, as small kids prefer sugary and junk foods. While they are young, we should train them eat food that has enough nutrients and vitamins which will sustain their daily activities.

Use less fat, salt, and sugar

Replace unhealthy habits at your kitchen. Switch to organic foods that are high with vitamins and nutrients.

Cook with less solid fats. Replace your margarine and butter with olive or canola oil. Instead of frying to make snacks, just bake and toast to avoid using oil.

Cook your children's snacks with less salt and sugar. Instead, have fruits and cereals to have healthy snacks.

Reshape the plate

Your children's plate should have more fruits and vegetables to eat rather than fatty meat and oily fried foods. Get enough of foods with potassium, calcium, vitamin D and dietary fiber.

Fill your child's plate with green, red and orange vegetables. Add fruit in every breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Give your kid low-fat milk products to supply them enough calcium to make healthy bones.

In the morning, do physical activities under the sunlight to get enough vitamin D naturally. Replace half of rice, bread and pasta with whole grain foods. When buying packed foods at the grocery store, check the nutrition facts label to ensure that it has enough nutrients to sustain your child's health.

Think about your drinks

Always remember the benefits of water, so you can choose water as your first choice. Or you can also pair your child's breakfast with low-fat milk. As much as possible, avoid sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavoured drinks.

Fresh fruits are the best sources of fiber. Serve snacks with 100% natural fruit juices. Always create healthy snacks in the kitchen for the whole family.

Limit your family's urge to eat at fast food chains. If possible, you can set dinner at the garden with your kids during weekends and let them be involved in preparing foods with you. This helps them have more appetite to eat, because they have contributed in preparing it.

Healthy Snack Ideas

When we talk about snacks, it is easy to grab processed snacks as it is available everywhere. But we need to add more effort to make healthy snacks for your child.

Here are examples of healthy snacks:

• Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables or fruit served plain or with low-fat yogurt
• Pretzels or air-popped popcorn sprinkled with salt-free spice mix
• Homemade fruit smoothies made with fat-free milk or yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit
• Dry cereals (with no added sugars) served plain or with low-fat or fat-free milk

Select snacks that are packed with the nutrients that your family needs.