Kids love sweets, chocolates and fizzy drinks. In fact, sometimes they might seem slightly addicted to sugar. If your child is eating sugary or fatty foods on a daily basis, you will need to cut this down, as it can be detrimental to their health. At first, they won’t be too keen to swap their beloved sweet treats for healthy snacks. However, they will soon come around to the idea. Especially if you use these handy tricks.
Keep Healthy Food Visible and Close
Kids will want to eat nearby things that they can see. So it is a good idea to keep fruit and vegetables on display. If your kids see something that they can eat, they’ll be tempted to try it no matter what it is. Conversely, if you do have sweets and cakes in your home, keep them hidden out of sight. If your kids don’t know they are there, they won’t ask for them.
Only Buy Healthy Snacks
The obvious answer to preventing your child from being tempted by sugary and fatty foods completely, is to stop buying them. Baking your own healthier snacks is a much better idea. And you can also swap all your bad snacks for fresh, healthy ones. Don’t worry if there is nothing you can do to get your kids to snack on fruit and veggies. Just buy more nuts, baked treats, and cereal bars. You can order yummy snacks online here.
Use Your Imagination
Kids usually love potatoes and pasta. These aren’t totally unhealthy, but they do have a fairly high-calorie count. Your kids can still enjoy them, though – you just have to be a bit sneaky about it. Instead of buying spaghetti and noodles, make your own from vegetables using a spiralizer. And instead of serving mashed potato, try cauliflower puree! The more inventive you are with your vegetables, the more kids will be intrigued by them and willing to give them a try. In fact my mother got me to eat carrots by mashing them into potatoes.
Swap Fizzy Soda for Fizzy Water
Kids love fizzy drinks. However, they usually have a very high sugar content. And that means they can cause weight gain and tooth decay. Not only that, but your kids will suffer from some serious sugar crashes if they drink a lot of fizzy drinks. One of the best drinks they can have is pure water. You can add some squash if they won’t drink it without a flavor. If they really miss their soda, give them fizzy water. To get more vitamins into their system, mix them up a smoothie using a NutriBullet.
Occasional Treats
Of course, kids can enjoy the occasional sugary treat or fatty snack. But this shouldn’t turn into a regular habit. A small chocolate bar or bag of chips once a week won’t do them any harm. Especially if they are living an active life with plenty of exercise.
Help your children get a great head start in life by promoting a healthy diet. They may not appreciate it now, but they will certainly thank you in years to come.
Take Charge of Your Health!
Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.
This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.
