How to make your child eat healthy foods?

Feeding healthy foods to a child is always a challenge. It has to be well-tackled at an early stage so that it does not become chronic and difficult to reverse. Marissa Callaghan, Northern Ireland Senior Women’s International Captain initiated the START campaign. In this, she encourages parents of kids and toddlers to take timely and adequate steps to inculcate healthier eating habits in children and family.

Children and healthy foods

Children are growing and developing. They require a balanced diet in sufficient amounts for it. But often due to the ignorance of the parents or poor income of family or due to the fussiness of the child in eating, this ideal situation is not achieved. Children fall for unhealthy foods and sugary treats and do not consume enough of fruits and vegetables.

Unhealthy foods are bad for the child in the short term as well as long term state. If parents do not handle and correct the unhealthy eating habits early, it could lead to chronicity. Things might get difficult with time. It might not be possible to reverse those faulty habits later on in life. This might lead to growth retardation and other chronic deficiencies and diseases.

In order to make parents aware on it and teach them on how to improve child’s diet, Marissa Callaghan, Northern Ireland Senior Women’s International Captain began the START campaign. In this, she teaches parents on ways to impart healthier eating habits to their kids. This includes limiting unhealthy treats and instead providing them with healthy snacks to fight the hunger pangs as and when they come.

START campaign research

The research of the new START campaign showed that nearly a fifth or 19% of North Ireland pre school students had a diet that lacked in healthy foods. They had unhealthy food treats such as cookies, crisps, biscuits, cakes, sweets, and milk chocolates. This proportion increased to 25% at the local primary school level. The food of these children are high in fat, sugars, and salt. No doubt, an epidemic of childhood obesity had swept the world.

Marissa feels that if parents are given an idea and education on how to make their child eat healthily it will go a long way in prevention of a number of diseases of childhood and adulthood. It is said that the chronic diseases of adulthood have their roots or seeds in childhood. Hence eating healthy early in life and after is essential for health reasons.

5 ways to make your child eat healthily

The campaign aims to provide support to parents in healthy eating habits of kids. These include:

Decide on type and amount of treats beforehand

One can feel tempted to buy sweets that one sees in the supermarket shelves. It is best to decide what treats to buy and the amount before starting the shopping. Limit these purchases. If the treats are not in the home cupboard, it is less likely that the child will demand it.

Children involvement

Instead of unhealthy treats, use healthy snacks for kids. These include nuts, seeds, fruits etc. Explain to them if possible and swap the unhealthy for the healthy foods. Get some simple recipes online that kids can make. Make it an interesting exercise with star rating.

Use non-food treats

Avoid food as a reward. Instead use other options such as a trip to the playground, the seashore, or other activities that your children enjoy.

Read more: Free school meals stopped in the UK English schools despite food poverty in children’s families!

Healthy swaps

Opt for healthy snacks in place of unhealthy ones. Offer low fat yoghurt, cheese, nuts, seeds, breadsticks, whole grain cereals, popcorn, fruits protein bars. And avoid fizzy drinks, high calories foods, high fat foods, and high sugars foods. Prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate. Act as a role model yourself. Children would follow suit.