Tips to keep a healthy appetite

Subject page : Health

"Eat up because its good for you” is a term parents have found to be a definite turn off for children. Know matter how brightly coloured and attractively arranged healthy food is children will have a hard time in accepting them as long as parents give them the wrong message. At an early age children are taught that sweets are treats and fruit and vegetables are necessities for good health. Unfortunately most small minds cannot identify why it is important to eat necessities but can readily identify with sweets for treats. The easiest thing to do is not to reward your child with sweets but rather a piece of fruit or an activity they enjoy. This will only work however if you isolate your child from the TV and friends!

Being the mother of five children I'd received all the helpful advice from health workers and factual information leaflets regarding keeping a balanced diet for my children. Although I agreed with the advice I received and tried to implement it I felt the pressure of what I knew was right against what was convenient. With the forceful marketing campaigns by food suppliers targeting children direct along with the desire simply to see my children eat what they 'enjoyed' I felt trapped and unawarely fell victim. It is so easy to have a bag of frozen chips, chicken nuggets, kids pizza in the freezer just in case I was pushed for time or too tired to cook that evening. But to my surprise these items I purchased for once in a while meals became regularly demanded by my children.

I cannot remember exactly where I first heard the quote 'convenient food does not necessarily mean junk food' but it certainly got my attention. I started to see what healthy foods my children did enjoy and increased them while introducing new items. I found that offering a variety of meals and taking that little extra effort in the presentation made them willing to try new things. Roast potatoes chopped to look like chips, grilled pieces of chicken or fish chopped in nugget sizes are just of couple of samples of how you can make a difference.

Author:  Sonia Michelle
Added:  28 Jun 2009