Navigating seemingly unlimited food choices can be a puzzle for any parent striving to instill healthy eating habits in their kids. We’ve got your back! This post distills the essentials of choosing healthy food for kids into simple, actionable steps. We have a handy Goal Mine class in video form that your kids can watch to grasp these concepts independently—definitely worth a peek!
Step 1: Encourage a Colorful Plate
Identifying Nutritious Foods: Educating kids on identifying nutritious foods is paramount. Start by introducing them to various vegetables and fruits, highlighting the significance of a colorful plate. Afterward, enrich their knowledge about the individual food groups and how each one contributes to their health and well-being.
Tips for Parents: To teach this skill independently, turn it into a fun and interactive game! For instance, assign each food group a color and let your kids group them accordingly. In addition, keep the conversation casual and the atmosphere relaxed. Maybe even reward them with a healthy dessert!
Read more: How to Get a Picky Toddler to Eat New Foods
Step 2: Read Food Labels Together
Deciphering the Details: Understanding food labels is like deciphering a code—it reveals what’s really inside. Reading labels together can educate kids on nutritional values, ingredients, and recommended serving sizes. This is essential for choosing genuinely healthy options.
Tips for Parents: Maintain a positive demeanor and simplify the terminology. Focus on the basics, such as calories, sugars, and fats, and elucidate how to interpret them in a balanced diet. For kids that like more of a challenge, explore the different names for sugar (like fructose) or sugary additives (like high fructose corn syrup) and keep an eye out for them!
Step 3: Opt for Whole Grains
Unrefined Goodness: Whole grains are full of nutrients and fiber. Discuss the benefits of consuming unrefined grains over refined ones and help your kids identify them in their daily meals. For instance, opt for brown rice and whole wheat bread over white rice and bread.
Tips for Parents: Introduce whole grains gradually to allow kids’ taste buds to adapt. Additionally, involve them in cooking to familiarize them with different grains and how to use them in recipes.
Step 4: Include Protein-Rich Foods
Building Blocks of Life: Protein is a vital component of every cell in the body. Explain the importance of proteins in muscle building and repair and demonstrate various sources, like lean meats, dairy, and legumes.
Tips for Parents: To instill this knowledge independently, encourage kids to identify protein-rich foods in their meals and discuss their benefits in a relatable manner.
Step 5: Limit Sugary Drinks and Snacks
Sugar Awareness: Sugars are sneaky and go by many names! They creep into the diet, often unnoticed. Emphasize the importance of limiting sugary drinks and snacks, explaining their effects on overall health and teeth. Consider setting up a way to track making healthy choices, like skipping the soda!
Tips for Parents:
- Keep the dialogue open and be ready to offer healthier alternatives.
- Use real-life examples to illustrate the impacts of excessive sugar consumption on health.
- Make it a fun game to check those labels at the grocery store together!
Read more: How to Get a Child to Eat When They Refuse
Step 6: Make Hydration a Priority
Liquid Gold: Water is the essence of life. Stress the importance of staying hydrated and help your kids understand the role of water in maintaining health and supporting bodily functions.
Tips for Parents: Create a routine around hydration and encourage kids to drink water regularly, explaining its significance in a language they understand.
Step 7: Involve Kids in Meal Planning
Culinary Creations: Involvement in meal planning and preparation can nurture a sense of responsibility and awareness about food choices. Guide your kids to create balanced meals and experiment with new recipes. Make this bonding experience a regular routine in your home!
Tips for Parents: Keep the mood light and the encouragement abundant. Share the joy of cooking and appreciate their culinary creations, emphasizing the value of nutritious ingredients.
Goally | 100+ Streaming Video Classes
Does your child need some extra guidance on building essential life skills? Goally’s skill building tablet for kids includes a TV app that has the most robust video library of skills training videos for kids. Ranging from content like “How to Brush Your Teeth” to “How to Make Friends at School,” we have dozens of interactive video lessons for kids with thinking and learning differences.
HERE’s a video explaining how to works.
Embarking on a journey towards healthy eating is a monumental step. We’ve discussed the pivotal role of various food components and how to opt for a balanced and nutritious diet. These tips and steps are about making better food choices and creating lifelong habits that will serve your kids well into their future. And remember, for a deeper dive into the first step and a sneak peek into what healthy eating entails, do watch our embedded YouTube video with your kids. For further insights and to unlock the rest of the video lessons on healthy food for kids, explore Goally – the best tablet for kids!
Goally
We help parents teach their kids life skills, like doing bedtime and morning independently. Backed by science, we incorporate evidence-based practices and expert-informed designs in all of our apps and content.
