Burger, fries, pizza, and coke – they seem to be too enticing even to adults. So, you can imagine the temptation they pose for the children. But you are worried! Isn’t such a diet totally unhealthy and harmful for the children? It perhaps is, you know it in your heart. That is why it is important to keep kids away from junk. Well, we know it’s more difficult than moving a mountain without any help.
Ø How to keep your kids away from junk and encourage healthy food habits?
If you could, you might possibly keep your children protected in a healthy bubble wherein they’ll only be exposed to nutritious food. Actually, it is better said than done. No matter how much you keep the child away from junk, they are automatically drawn to them and even disobey you sometimes because of this. So, if you are serious about helping them get over this habit of having too much junk, then keep reading for the tips:
o Change your idea of rewards — Most of the time, you are the one who instigate this habit of having junk in your child as reward for their good deeds. Remember, there are other ways to reward the child other than giving chocolates and ice creams. You can gift an art set or books and even a skating set for that matter. Basically, anything other than junk items would be ok. This plays an important role in breaking the connection between kids and junk items.
o Stop stocking the junk — The kids tend to throw tantrums to have those cookies and chips if they know you have stocked them in the house. But if you stop keeping them in the house, the child will know that he/she won’t get it easily and that is how the child stops asking for it.
o Follow the habit yourself — Are you a junk addict as well? Then you can’t expect your child to leave the habit when you’re devouring burgers and fries in front of your child. You will have to be an ideal role model who your child follows. That way the kid would give up eating too much junk.
o Let the childcare centre help you —Your child perhaps goes to a reputed childcare centre. Though most of them do serve only healthy food to your child, it is always better to point out this requirement to the staff and let them help you in tackling this issue. One of the best child care centres in Melbourne, the Kids & Co, has a really considerate staff and educational system that not only helps in providing proper training and care to your child, but they instigate healthy habits in your kid as well. Obviously, this does include eating healthy and nutritious food regularly.
If you follow these steps and slowly keep your child away from the junk like reducing its intake to once in a week and then tapering down to a single time in the fortnight, then your kid will easily give up eating too much junk. After this, you can expose your child to healthy options to consider. Make the food interesting to look at and good to eat – then your child would appreciate and love having it for sure.