Last night, I saw a documentary called "The Truth About Food" on BBC Knowledge. It was a special show on kids and I learned a lot so I thought I would share with you.
Food is a big topic right now and I think all parents are aware that it's becoming more and more difficult to control our child's eating habits, what with television ads and an enormous variety of food (mostly unhealthy) at the supermarket.
Here are some tips from the show (that you can see also here):
(image found on this website)
- Don't give up feeding children vegetable. Perhaps ask an older sibling to encourage trying new foods with your child and keep repeating exposure little and often - 10 is the magic number.
- Don’t ban anything, it will only reinforce the association with unhealthy foods.
- Use non-food rewards such as sticker charts.
- For an extra edge in the morning make sure you eat a breakfast of complex carbohydrates- wholemeal breads and cereals, beans, and eggs.
- Parents play a direct role in children’s eating patterns. Set the example by eating at the table with your children and save the TV until after dinner.
- Avoid supersize, king-size or 25% extra food.
Another great website that talks about food for kids is KidsHealth.org. I found a part where they tell us how much of each food group is needed for each child (according to their age). You can click here to go straight to that page.
