How to teach your child about healthy eating?

Talking to your child about healthy eating

Dialogue is in many cases the starting point for achieving the desired goal. Therefore, it is a good idea to start teaching your child about healthy eating by talking about foods and their role in the body. A simple, illustrative and factual talk about vegetables, fruit and other dietary components will certainly make it possible to understand many fundamental issues. It is also worth reaching for ready-made products, which will help the child remember their taste and health benefits.

Healthy nutrition for children: creating a healthy shopping list

Shopping is fun for many children, especially when parents allow them to be involved in choosing the products. One of the best ways to teach your child about healthy eating is to do the shopping together and make a list of the necessary items. When visiting the shop, it is a good idea to avoid the sections with sweets and other unhealthy products. In this way, you can show your child at an early stage that sweet and salty snacks are not a dietary staple.

Healthy nutrition for children: cooking and preparing meals together

Nothing brings people together more than spending time together in the kitchen. Involving the child in the process of preparing a meal will not only allow him or her to acquire valuable skills for the future, but also make it easier to understand why e.g. one should not deep-fry, it is worth avoiding excessive addition of sugar and salt, and how to combine certain products. Talking is very important when cooking. The parent should continually tell the child what he or she is doing, for what purpose, and what the health benefits are.

Another and equally important consideration is how the meal is served. Many children simply whine when it's time to eat something that doesn't look like colourful, fancy sweets. So it's worth taking the time to make sandwiches or porridge that will awaken your child's senses. You can find lots of inspiration in cookery books and on the internet, which will help you to change up your child's meals and give them a whole new look!

Nutrition for children: offer healthy snacks and sweets

Dessert is a key point in the daily menu for many children. It is therefore the parent's task to prepare a meal which is free from unhealthy ingredients and which can replace the high-calorie sweets from the shop. There are plenty of suggestions!

• Sweet toast
• Milkshakes
• Waffles with toppings
• High-protein pancakes
• A variety of cakes and pastries (e.g. sweet tarts)

Sweetness can be ensured by using healthy substitutes (e.g. erythrol, stevia, honey) and chocolate can be replaced by low-fat cocoa. In addition, each recipe should be enriched with the addition of colourful fruits and topped with delicious nuts or nut creams.