Role modelling healthy eating as a parent to encourage healthy eating in your
children is much like role modelling reading to encourage the love of books.
FLAIR
motivation
Making healthy choices.
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You don’t need to master the skill of hypnosis to ensure your child eats healthy. Some key considerations you need to make are:
Start early
Instil healthy eating habits as young as possible. This can begin when your little one begins eating solids. Pureeing foods rich
in vitamins and minerals, introducing a mixture of vegetables and fruits along with slowly introducing lean meats and fish
is really important to ensure children are accustomed to the various tastes early on. Studies released in the U.S. Journal of
Paediatrics show that the earlier a healthy variety is offered in a child’s diet, the more likely they are to enjoy healthy foods
in later childhood. Kate Holt a qualified nutritionist from the UK advises - “Children should learn healthy eating habits from a very
young age. Even from weaning! A diet high in plant based foods and variety is the key to good health. Diets low in salt, saturated fats
and sugar is vitally important in maintaining a healthy weight and installs good eating habits later on in life. Home cooked meals are
beneficial as knowing exactly what ingredients are in our kids food is fantastic! Including quality proteins I.e., Beans, Lentils and Chick
Peas and using Avocados and seed/nut butters and oils in cooking to provide healthy fats in the diet.”
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Role model
If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree where personalities are concerned, it is no different where eating habits are
concerned also. Role modelling healthy eating as a parent to encourage healthy eating in your children is much like role
modelling reading to encourage the love of books. Offer the same if not similar foods to your children but ensure you are
eating healthily also!
What you can’t see can’t hurt you
Avoid buying unhealthy foods and snacks in bulk to store in your kitchen pantry. Sweet items such as chocolates, high
sugar juices, flavoured milks, chips and crisps and biscuits are treats and should ideally be bought as once-off bar size
snacks which do not require further storage. Buying large packs of chocolates, crisps and biscuits encourage children to
regularly snack on foods with little nutritional value, leaving minimal room in their tummies for wholesome healthy food
offered at the dinner table.
Educate
For children who are old enough, educate them about their nutritional needs. Highlight the healthy eating pyramid and
the importance of eating in moderation. Children who understand the importance of the quality of their food generally
appreciate healthier options. Kulsoom Ashraf, busy mum of three says:
“Healthy eating in our home was a constant battle. Whilst we offered foods high in nutritional value, my eldest showed little or no
interest raising concerns that she was not eating enough. Trying to encourage my daughter to eat plant based foods and fish involved
taking arbitrary measures and it just didn’t work. Her school focussed on healthy eating - discussing the importance of nutrition,
teaching children the right balance of foods that should be a part of their daily intake. It transformed my daughters approach to eating.
Being given knowledge about the different foods meant she was very keen to amend her eating ways and it has been so much easier
since…”
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Offer variety
Offering the same foods on a regular basis can mean children lose interest in the food type very quickly. Dip into different
cultures as much as possible to allow for variation particularly when experimenting with vegetables or fish the children
have not tried before. This will help fussy eaters as it is often the texture of the food that a child depends on rather than
just the taste
Homayra Billah
Originally from Australia, Homayra Billah is the founder and managing partner of Kanga’s Pouch Nursery in Qatar. A teacher and
busy mum of two, she is passionate about providing positive nurturing environments for children to grow and develop. She began
her Qatari adventure in 2008 having taught in Australia for 5 years. Since being in Doha, Homayra has taught at nursery level for 18
months and a well-known British school for almost 4 years before establishing Kanga’s Pouch.
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Society