If changing eating habits were easy, everyone would be fit and healthy. One key to making lasting improvements is to make changes in stages. Start with something simple and stick to it for a week. After your family has mastered one change, add another.
Some Ideas to Get You Started
- Eat breakfast.
- Substitute water for one sugary drink each day.
- Eat one to two more fruits or vegetables each day.
- Plan a healthy snack for each day of the week.
- Switch to a low-fat version of a favourite food.
- Plan three meals and two snacks every day.
- Plan a home-cooked meal, which usually has fewer calories, more reasonable portions and costs less than typical meals eaten at restaurants.
Set the Example
Parents play a big role in guiding their children’s eating habits by the examples they set, the foods they make available in the home and the mealtime experiences they create for their families.
Offer healthy snacks such as fruit, low-fat cottage cheese or yoghurt, frozen juice bars, applesauce, celery or apples and peanut butter, raw vegetables, fig bars and low-fat cheese. Large portions mean too many calories. A snack for a typical adult may be a container of yoghurt, but for a small child, two or three tablespoons of yoghurt is about right.
Make Eating an Enjoyable Activity for the Whole Family
Family meals can be a time to monitor what children are eating and reconnect with each other. Involve children in food preparation and clean-up, and sit down with children when they eat. The idea is to build healthy lifelong eating habits.
Some healthy eating tips include the following:
- Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables half your plate at each meal should be vegetables or fruit.
- Beware of sweetened drinks fizzy drinks and sport drinks are high in calories. Keep in mind that too much juice can also quickly add calories to a child’s diet.
- Choose food sensibly when eating out.
Healthy Food Tips When Eating Out
- Ask if you don’t know what is in a dish or the serving size.
- Eat the same portion size you would at home.
- Ask for sauces, gravy and dressings on the side or avoid them altogether.
- Order foods that are not breaded or fried.
- Order fruit for dessert.
- Ask for substitutions: A vegetable instead of chips, or for the high-fat food to be left off the plate.
- Ask for low-calorie versions of food. Vinegar and oil or a squeeze of lemon is better than high-fat dressings or sauces.
