Nutrition for Kids: Tips for Healthy Eating Habits and Food Choices

Insights on creating nutritious meals and fostering good eating patterns in young children.

Early infancy is an ideal period for children to acquire good eating habits. It is critical to instil in children a healthy eating philosophy early on, since these habits will follow them throughout their lives.

Around the age of three, children's curiosity is still very strong, and they are less resistive and more likely to try new foods. Mealtimes are an excellent time to watch your three-year-old's food since they will be eating together as a family. Family mealtimes are important because they teach children mealtime customs and mannerisms such as eating with a fork and spoon or chopsticks, saying prayers before meals, eating 'roti sabzi' with your hands, and much more.

Young children are in a quick growth period; the nutritious meals supplied to them at this point will offer the essential nutrients for proper body development. This also provides them the nutrition needed for conducting their daily activities. Because young children are highly busy and constantly developing, their metabolism is high, and hence their calorie intake must be high as well.

Tips for Making Healthy Toddler Food

Keep the following suggestions in mind while planning and preparing nutritious meals for your toddler:

Accept their tastes:

Even though your kid likes mealtimes and trying new meals, they, like adults, will develop preferences for some foods over others. These preferences often change, some on a daily basis and others after a few days, until they eat something new and determine that the new cuisine is their favourite. Instead of becoming irritated, continue the normal pattern of introducing new and healthy foods to your kids with a little variety of more familiar foods and letting them choose what they would like to eat along with the new food item.

Encourage rather than push:

It may take 5 to 15 times of introducing a new food item to your kid before they start loving it. You may help your kid develop a healthy connection with food by encouraging them to try at least one mouthful of the new cuisine alongside their favourite foods. When your kid is forced to eat anything new, they may acquire a dislike for not just that particular item, but also for the whole eating process, since they may develop a dread of being forced to consume additional things they dislike.

Provide nutritious options:

While it is not practical to prepare a whole buffet for your child, even offering two or three healthy food items for them to choose from can help them feel in control. They may also be willing to try new cuisine. If your kid dislikes a certain meal, try presenting it to them in a different manner. Try palak paratha instead of palak sabzi, or boiling carrots instead of raw carrots. It takes time for young toddlers to acquire a taste for certain foods.

Keep your meals simple:

Toddlers' senses are acute, which explains why they rush to clean themselves if their fingers get even slightly soiled, or why they prefer older, softer garments than stiffer new ones. Toddlers love and are pleased to eat simpler prepared dishes such as sandwiches, parathas, Khichadi, foods such as eggs, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower that are steamed or boiled with more natural tastes and very little spice. These basic dishes are also incredibly healthy. So, the next time you're pressed for time, consider these quick dinners instead of going for a takeaway menu or ordering through an app.

Mealtimes are special – switch of the TV and any other electronic distractions:

During mealtimes, the TV and other electronic devices may be a source of distraction. Children eat slower since they are staring at the computer, their food grows cold, and they are unaware whether their stomachs are full or not. Eating as a family makes mealtimes more enjoyable since everyone is chatting and joking at the table. It is also a learning experience for toddlers since they witness and learn from people who are eating, they are aware of the taste and textures of various sorts of meals, and when they've had enough, they may even learn to be a little more independent by feeding themselves.

Developing good eating habits in children is not just restricted to their dietary regime; it is much more comprehensive encompassing their eating patterns and quantity and who they are eating with. Healthy food habits are the relationships, behaviours, and memories you form as a result of your eating experience.

Moris Media, India’s leading digital marketing agency believes that you need to instil healthy habits in children from a very early stage that will last throughout adulthood. Our experts emphasize the importance of eating healthful meals and dining together.