Are you having difficulty making a smart nutrition choice for your picky eater? Your child’s pediatrician can help you create some healthier eating habits. If your child is overweight, he/she can map out a treatment plan so your child can lose excess weight.
Tips To Help Kids Make Nutritious Snack Choices
Kids are always hungry and want snacks all through the day. Instead of eating candy or chips, try for smarter snack options. Nutritious foods are the best fuel for powering the body and brain. Challenge your children to think of their bodies as rockets that need fuel. Teach them about nutritious snacks for that fuel. Options can be nuts, apple slices, celery, peanut butter, whole-grain crackers, and cheese sticks. Maybe introduce them to hummus and carrots as a new nutritious snack.
The Benefits Of Cooking With Children
One of the best ways to get your child dedicated to nutrition is having them be an active part of meal preparation. It’s true that including the kids in cooking meals requires time, patience, (especially after a harried workday), and some extra cleanup. You may wonder if the extra effort is worth it. Child and family experts across many educational disciplines believe it is. They believe the time invested is well worth the effort and that parents and children will reap both short and long-term benefits. Conscientious parents are always on the lookout for ways to better teach, communicate, and connect with their children. Having an active role in the preparation of dinner leads them to be more likely to eat it. Enjoy this quality time together and show them how eating and cooking healthy foods can be fun.
Should You Hide Vegetables In Your Child’s Food?
At the beginning of the kid’s new nutritional journey and their aversion to eating vegetables, it may be necessary to hide the vegetable in their favorite foods. Put some broccoli in their mac and cheese and use whole-grain macaroni. Vegetables, of course, provide fiber, antioxidants, and micronutrients that round out your child’s healthy diet. There’s no denying that following the route of “deceptively delicious” can make life easier, especially if you have a picky eater. Include vegetables in unexpected places. A red pepper-topped pizza or scrambled eggs with tomatoes, for example, might be a win-win, letting your child feel comfortable while introducing them to something new and healthy.
Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism, they learn to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, they learn to fight. This is the same with food. If a child sees the parents eating healthy, they too will eat healthy. If parents aren’t making healthy choices, it is a good chance the children will not see a reason to eat healthy either. Lead by example and this simple habit could actually improve not just your child’s health but yours as well.
The bottom line is to get the whole family healthy. Develop healthy eating habits to help children develop healthy eating habits. Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products. Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products, including cheese and yogurt. Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein. Encourage your family to drink lots of water and limit the consumption of sugar and saturated fat.
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About Pediatrics of Florence
We believe that children are more than just “little adults.” They have unique personalities, challenges, and life circumstances and we have made every effort to make our offices and care as “kid friendly” as possible. We have an aquatic theme in the waiting rooms (separated for sick and well children) as well as themed examination rooms. All of our physicians are Board Certified Pediatricians and members of the American Academy of Pediatrics and our nurse practitioners are all licensed Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and are available to see both well and sick children.
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