Healthy eating offers several benefits for your kids.
Start life-long habits early. Think back to things you learned as a kid — brushing your teeth, taking a shower or bath, putting your clothes in the hamper each night. Those habits are second nature now that you’re an adult. The same can be true with healthy eating. The earlier your kids learn about and practice good nutrition, the more likely it will become a life-long habit.
Improve school performance. Kids who eat better do better in school. There’s a direct connection between children’s nutrition and better grades. Kids who eat healthily are also more likely to go to class and to pay attention in class.
Help kids control their weight. Nearly 20 percent of kids are overweight or obese. Being overweight as a kid puts a person at an increased risk for health problems throughout life. Good nutrition and healthy eating habits can help lower calorie consumption, helping kids lose extra weight or keep it off.
Help to improve energy levels. Kids who don’t eat right can be sluggish or tired throughout the day. On the flip side, kids who eat a lot of sugar can be overly-active. A balanced diet will give a kid the energy boost they need to pay attention. But it won’t give so much energy that they’re bouncing off the walls.
Reduces risk for health problems. Weight gain isn’t the only issue connected to a poor diet. Reducing sugar intake can also improve the health of a child’s teeth (fewer cavities). Eating less sugar and controlling a child’s weight can reduce diabetes risk too.
Getting your kids to eat nutritious foods and finding the time to prepare healthy meals can be challenging. But neither is impossible.
You can also turn healthy eating into a game. For example, encourage your kids to eat at least five servings of fruit or vegetables daily. Each time they eat a fruit or vegetable, put a sticker on a chart. At the end of the week or month, count up the number of stickers and give out a prize.
HEALTHY FOOD SWAPS
Need ideas for healthy food? Try these simple swaps:
Trade pudding cups for yogurt cups. (Pay attention to the added sugar in the yogurt.)
Trade sodas or juice for water or low-fat milk. (You can add slices of fruit to the water to give it some flavour.)
Swap fresh berries for berry flavoured fruit snacks.
Try natural peanut butter, which doesn’t have added oils or sugar.
Serve air-popped popcorn instead of pretzels or potato crisps.
A nursery menu should contain all of the nutrients your child needs to grow and develop. At Hoodles Childcare we supply your children with high quality, healthy, nutritional cooked lunches and snacks.
