What is healthy eating for kids?
An essential component of children’s healthcare is providing healthy food for kids. Professionals in the field of children’s health services and children’s medical services are in general agreement that, when it comes to raising healthy children, there are four main food groups for kids.
Those who write about kids’ health and those who are responsible for raising healthy children also agree that children’s health and child nutrition go hand in hand.
In Helpful Parenting Tips you will find a wide range of articles that include advice on what constitutes a healthy diet for kids.
How Junk Food Affects Children
As we all know, children are extremely attracted to fast food… by its presentation, color and taste.
Fast food is more commonly referred to by its generic name as “junk food” because these foods have high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fats. Nutritionists would not recommend such a diet as these foods would not be regarded as healthy foods for a child to eat.
More often than not, fast food lacks the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals and the important fibre and protein that developing children require for a healthy diet. A dietitian or other health expert would not recommend unhealthy food that lacks good nutrition. Much more preferable would be healthy foods, especially for growing children.
How to break unhealthy eating habits in children
CHANGING UNHEALTHY FOOD HABITS
Many people ask, “is pizza unhealthy”? This is because most people don’t really understand why junk food is unhealthy food.
Unhealthy food habits can develop in early childhood. Once children have been introduced to junk food, often because of its convenience, they can acquire a strong preference for unhealthy food over kids’ healthy meals.
Children will be naturally attracted to junk food, so it’s important to provide them a kids meal that is both healthy and attractive.
Read more about how to break unhealthy eating habits in children
Children’s Health
For children to grow up happy, healthy, and strong, you need to pay close attention to their overall health and nutrition and their well-being. Environment is another important factor that will influence good health in children.
Children need lots of love and care, stimulus for brain health, activities for learning, good wholesome food that is nutritious packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals that children’s young bodies need to grow strong bones, muscles and to develop brain function.
Creative Play
Play is a natural, spontaneous activity of a child as they explore their surroundings. Through play, children reveal their feelings and react to their own achievements. It is their way of learning about themselves and their environment. As they play and try new things, interacting with the others around them, they are developing as a person with a personality of their own. It’s important for a child’s physical growth and development to be actively involved in play.
How to Get Your Child to Sleep
Sleep is essential for a happy, healthy life and it’s important that we all get enough of it every night. Children need the recommended amount of sleep for their age group for them to develop into happy, healthier children. Physical activity for children is important for their growing bodies, enabling them to sleep better. However, when it comes to babies, toddlers or children, parents commonly ask, “How to get a baby to sleep?” or more often, “How to get an overtired baby to sleep?”
Encouraging Children to Exercise and Be Active.
It’s important for parents to allow their children to explore new physical challenges as this strengthens bones and muscles and aids their emotional learning. Obesity is rising in children, due to the lack of exercise along with poor diet.
