Healthy food and Parent’s Role

It is important for parents to ensure the health of their children. Parents play a big role in shaping children’s eating habits. When parents eat a variety of foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber, children learn to like these foods as well. So parents should learn to make smart food choices and help their children to develop a positive relationship with healthy foods. For many parents, helping children develop healthy eating habits is a challenge. With hectic pace of many families’ lives and with more women working full time, many parents are struggling to teach desirable eating habits to their children. Working parents can also help shape children’s eating and activity habits with the help of child care providers. Child care provider can offer well-balanced meals and snacks, as well as plenty of active play time.

With increasing childhood obesity, parents should be concerned about what their children eat. The rapid change in diet and decreasing physical activity is affecting the child health. So parents should guide their children to make healthy food choices for them. It is best to start training children about foods during the preschool years since they are most influenced by their families during this period. This lowers the risks presented by unhealthy diets that start in childhood and that might build up throughout life. Additionally, research has shown that heart and blood vessel disease can begin very early and that hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis) can be associated with a high-fat diet.

Parents should carefully read food labels to check nutrients and ingredients. Most kids are attracted to the advertising and packaging of food, including highly sugared cereals. Parents are also suggested to involve young children in the food preparation process. For example, teach children how to set the table during their preschool years. Take them grocery shopping. Developing children's attitude toward food should be similar to teaching them how to handle money; by giving them growing responsibility along with sensible access. Parents whose child is already in school should find out more about the school’s breakfast and lunch programs. It is also recommended to help one’s child to pack a lunch that includes a variety of foods.

If children are properly prepared, they are more likely to make healthy food choices once they enter school. They will probably experiment some, but they will have a preference for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables along with foods like french fries and fast foods.

Reference
National Institute of Health. Helping your child. March 2004. 6 October 2010 .
World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. 2010. 3 October 2010 .