Eating well at any age is important but even more so when we are in our younger years. During this period habits are being created for life which can influence the health of children in the immediate and for the rest of their life through creating habits and food preferences.
Eating well is also important for your child, to be able to get the most they can from school and life. Also, to be able to be involved in all the activities which are available like sports and recreational activities. It is important to remember children do grow in spurts which means when looking at a class of children there can be a range of different heights, all of which are healthy.
As a parent you do have a role to play in the food environment. This means you have influence over the way food is prepared and cooked, what food is available in the house and where and how meals are eaten. Studies have shown families which eat together at mealtimes are healthier in more ways than one. Benefits of eating as a family include improving the relationship your child has with food, improved academic performance and less likelihood of developing an eating disorder.
Here are 8 ways you as the parent can improve the food environment at home can be:
- Select foods which will give your child the energy they need for growth and development without the excess sugar, fat and salt. Try having some low fat cheese, yoghurt or milk in the fridge as well as readily available fruit either in the fridge or in a bowl. The pantry can be stocked with some healthy options like baked beans, tuna tins and wholegrain or multigrain bread and crackers in the pantry.
- For cereal choices try wholegrain and high fibre types like Weetabix, Oats, Muesli, Vita Brits, All Bran, Mini Wheats, Shredded Wheat. If these are not sweet enough try adding some whole fruit like a banana or peaches sliced finely also some flavoured low fat yoghurt (check there is no added sugar, my favourite yogurts are Nestle Soleil and Yoplait no fat varieties) can also help. Our taste buds adapt over time and if we do not have high sugary cereals all the time we don’t feel like we need as much sweetness to get the same satisfaction.
- Set regular meal times. If both breakfast and dinner are impossible with your lifestyle try to aim for at least one consistently. Weekends are a great time to have lunch together, try a picnic at your Local Park, lake or beach.
- Limit the ‘sometimes foods’ to once or twice a week maximum. Foods are meant to be enjoyed and we should never feel deprived but there is also a line which needs to be drawn as a parent. Make the special treat something to celebrate rather than an everyday expectation.
- When selecting meats to have at home try to select meats with lower saturated fat like fish or chicken breast. If you do have meats with more fat try to cut these out and this also includes the skin.
- The type of breads and cereal products you choose can influence the amount of nutrients. Try choosing wholegrain breads over white, brown pasta and rice over the white and experimenting with other grains like wholegrain couscous and quinoa.
- Nuts and seeds are a super snack but be careful with portion sizes and added salt. Try separating small bags of roughly a handful to take whenever hungry or at recess at school.
- Drinking calories counts! Offer water as the main drink or mineral water over juice. Juice can contain all the energy (sugar) without the fibre and a lots of the nutrients whole fruit provides. If you are going to allow juice in the house aim for a no added sugar type and a maximum of half a cup a day.
Take Home Message:
When setting up healthy habits for your child you are also helping your own health. Making small changes rather than completely redoing your home food environment is a good way to improve your likelihood of long term success for your family.
