Watch the Video about Helping Children Learn to Eat Healthy Food

 

How to Get A Child To Eat Healthy Food

Many parents bring children to me with health problems caused by a poor diet. The parents explain that as it is difficult to feed the child they give them food low in nutrients.  The first thing to recognise in tackling this difficult problem is that not all children (or adults) are quick learners when it comes to learning to eat well.   Children learn skills such as walking, reading, swimming, at different rates, eating is one of these skills. Some need little help; others need time patience and encouragement.

Consider why your child needs to eat. Is it just to stop them moaning / entertain them / stop them feeling hungry / to give them energy? When you feed your child you (and your child) need to be aware that only nutritious foods will stop children from getting sick and allow them to grow. In the long term only nutritious foods will help your children in the long term feel relaxed, happy, and energetic.

I have found in my naturopathic practice that children from the age of 3 are able to learn what foods help them feel better and what foods dont. The parents get the role of being good helpers. But the child has to understand why he or she needs to eat. With older children I will go into more detail about the particular foods that are high in the nutrients that they are deficient in. Also why some foods can cause a depletion of nutrients eg sugar will deplete magnesium.

Start by introducing small amounts of a variety of nutrient rich foods including fruits and vegetables. Freshly prepared organic food may be more expensive but has been shown to be higher in nutrients so better value nutritionally, and does not have harmful chemicals. Avoid having foods that are low in nutrients in the house i.e. sugary foods, chippies, white flour. If they are there it is tempting to use them as a substitute for nutritious food, but they will not help your child grow, be happy and healthy.

Watch the Video about Helping Children Learn to Eat Healthy Food