Dad Diet

Most parents know that a healthy diet is vital for children from toddlers to teenagers, especially during periods of rapid growth.

Good nutrition helps children meet their energy and other important nutritional requirements, so they can achieve their growth and development potential.

Yet how can a balanced diet be achieved for children when parents are up against various challenges, such as long working days, running a household, satisfying each child’s needs and fussy eaters?

There is no single answer, but to give children the best start in life, it is important to introduce a wide variety of food, to establish a good nutritional foundation. The sooner your children start on the road to healthy eating, the sooner they will benefit. Eating habits established as a child are carried throughout life.

Try the following tips to help your children on their way to developing healthy eating habits for life.

• One fun way to help your children learn about nutrition and develop an appreciation of good food is to involve them in meal preparation.
• Enjoy meal times together, in a relaxed, enjoyable manner. This becomes a key time to catch up on each family member’s day.
• Be creative by using a variety of brightly coloured vegetables and arrange them to make different pictures – such as a face or a house. Also try different textures such as frozen fruit instead of fresh.
• For fussy eaters, try grating vegetables such as carrot and zucchini into soups or pasta.  Home-made pizzas and lasagnes are another way to incorporate vegetables in meals that children love.
• Set a good example. If your children don’t see you enjoying a balanced diet, it will be much more difficult to convince them they should eat well. And it’ll be good for you, too!
• Get them involved. Whether grocery shopping together, selecting fresh vegetables from the crisper, or washing, grating and peeling, children are much more likely to eat what they have helped to prepare.

For more information regarding getting your kids excited, The healthy eating for kids website has tons of fun recipes that will turn mealtime into funtime!

[via NineMSN]