How to Help Your Kids Adopt Healthy Nutritional Habits

9/10/2021

A strong understanding of healthy nutritional habits can offer myriad advantages to a child as they grow. By encouraging ideal dietary choices at a young age, you can help your kids learn how to provide nourishment for their bodies over the course of their life and diminish the likelihood of chronic health problems later on. Furthermore, this can also enhance their energy level at school, how they engage in sports activities, and increase their quality of sleep.

The team at Indianapolis Gastroenterology and Hepatology understands that a healthy start can positively impact kids throughout their life. Given that September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, we have included tips to help parents discover additional information pertaining to nutrition for children, healthy foods for children, and lunchbox options for little ones. We encourage you to read the following tips and contact our team to book a consultation with one of our gastrointestinal (GI) doctors in Indianapolis, IN for further details.

How to encourage good nutrition for kids

We recommend a number of approaches to help encourage good eating habits for healthy little ones, such as:

  • Let your child help with the cooking and food shopping activities. You’ll have the opportunity to guide your kid about selecting nutritious foods and dietary information when buying and preparing food. This experience can also enable children to have fun exploring good eating habits while also enjoying time spent with you. By fostering this form of participation, you could be less likely to experience food aversions or picky eating since your youngster can discover more about the food you choose.
  • Sit down to eat family meals together regularly. While eating the meal, try to have a positive conversation so your child does not negatively associate eating with stress. Such associations may lead to other issues down the road.
  • Stay away from treating food as a reward or discipline technique. If you send your little one off to bed without dinner to punish them or give them sugary foods as a prize for being good, it could affect your child's relationship with eating over time.
  • Follow portion amounts on food packaging panels and inspect the ingredients. Talking with your child about food ingredients and portion size can allow your child to understand how these factors affect their health.
  • Manage snack times and food options. While snacking is an important component of healthy eating, it's good to plan out specific times for snacking and the choices of food your kid eats. Additionally, try to avoid letting your child eat in front of the TV. This might lead to the overconsumption of food, which could impact their health.

What healthy foods should your child's diet include?

Our Indianapolis, IN pediatric digestive health experts suggest a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, dairy protein, and grains. When possible, it's advisable to limit the intake of sugar and trans fat at meals and during snack time. By adhering to a diet that primarily includes these quality food groups, you can help your family members feel better and be healthier. If you are the type of parent who likes to plan, here are a few favorite lunchbox choices for school-aged children. Feel free to take a look at the recipes below:

How can I get additional details about healthy diets for children?

Aside from providing the information listed here, our staff members are pleased to serve as a comprehensive resource for parents and caregivers, which can enable them to obtain recent information surrounding nutrition for children. Some of the sites we suggest that parents visit are listed below:

At Indianapolis Gastroenterology and Hepatology, we are focused on giving kids healthy habits early in life. Our pediatric gastroenterologists commonly work with parents and caregivers to help curate a good nutritional foundation for their children. Get in touch with our Indianapolis, IN digestive experts to find out more about the benefits of healthy foods or choosing proper dietary options for your child.