Developing good eating habits for children and adolescents

• Honey, if you will behave well at the doctor, we will go to McDonald’s after
• You’ve been naughty! You will not get any donuts for a week!
• Don’t bother me now, do you want fries?
•  You hurt your knee? Come on now, grandma will give you ice cream

Such scenes are at some homes every day. Children tend to be disciplined and rewarded with food. I do not know if it’s a good educational method. But I’m absolutely sure that it is very bad to use as an argument for eating junk. And unfortunately often just filled with fast food and sweets chemistry fits into the subconscious of the child as “delicious” and “worth the sacrifice”.

In this way, children are abused. They have awakened the feelings like overeating some are obese. Unfortunately these problems can stay with them for a lifetime. Harmful substances from “fixed food” interfere with the normal development of children, can even affect the formation of cancer cells.

And it’s enough, just to shape good eating habits from the first years of life. It is the parents, by their own example, creating a positive climate for healthy meals, teach children what is good and what is even tasty. Especially delicious dishes prepared with mum or dad! Little learner can easily give up the ubiquitous (unfortunately also in the school store) fast foods, if it is always internally convinced that the chips are just plain bad, and your breakfast box is colorful and full with delicious healthy snacks.

And if the child is already obese, you as a parent should convince your kid to stick to these rules:

• Reduce animal fats and carbohydrates (especially sugar)
• Reduce gluten, flour products and sweets; White flour-OUT! Replace with whole grain flour, buckwheat, corn, amaranth, rice
• No snacking between meals, you should prepare your child juice from fresh vegetables or fruits
• Abandon the intermediate products, especially soups, sauces bags, etc.
• Exclude greasy, fried, breaded meat and greasy sausage-you can substitute it with lean meat
• Exclude mayonnaise, sweet drinks, sugars, chocolate, chocolates, chocolate bars, jelly beans, chips, candy-better to do (and best – together) homemade cake or jelly with cranberries
• Dietary fiber is very important – a lot of vegetables and fruits. I particularly  recommend low-energy fresh vegetables such as kohlrabi, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower and fruits: melon, watermelon, apple and strawberries (if not sensitize)
• Serve your kid 4-5 meals a day
• Obese school-age children should consume daily about 1500 – 2000 kcal

We all remember that a properly formulated meals reduce cravings for the sweets (because they deliver magnesium, chromium and zinc) and suppress hunger between meals.

Good snacks for children:

• Fruit salad
• Cookies with amaranth
• Dried fruits: figs, which are very sweet, apricots
• Banana warm stewed in coconut butter or clarified butter
• Cocktails
• Oatmeal (whole grain) on the water with fruits (banana, apple with a touch of agave syrup)

For school: multicolored sandwiches on wholegrain breads with salad and vegetables, freshly squeezed juice poured into the bottle, cranberries, peanuts, apples, carrots

For lunch: soup, creams: with carrots, zucchini, leek, tomatoes; chicken broth, barley soup on lean meat; chops vegetables, fish with vegetables, salads, fruit salads

For dessert: I recommend strongly homemade cakes, cookies with amaranth, carrot cake, oatmeal, a good idea is to make a dessert with your child

For dinner: same as lunch, but you can also make sandwiches

Once in a while make ice cream together with your kids: freeze the mixed fruit in the fridge, you can add cranberry juice and add a little syrup.

A lot was written about kids, and yet I still could write more … I will  post recipes for Kids from time to time, also feel free to share your ideas.
Oh, also very important: not only shaping eating habits in an early age is important. Similarly is with the love to the sport (expressed actively, not just by watching games). The need for movement triggered in childhood is for life!

Why are you sit still in front of the computer? Take kids and go outside! It’s perfect weather for games with mom and dad 🙂