HEALTHY EATING

5 HEALTHY EATING HABITS FOR KIDS
For many children nowadays, healthy eating means boring food. However, with rising obesity among children and the increase in fast food consumption, healthy eating has become all the more important among concerned parents. Here are 5 tips to get your child to eat healthier :

1) Discourage eating meals in front of the television. A lot of children tend to overeat when they sit in front of the tv because they are focussed on the programme and not on their food. As a result, they ignore signs of fullness. Therefore, try to eat dinner at the dinner table and if possible, try to make it a family affair (for at least one meal a day) so you can monitor what and how much they eat.

2) Limit liquids. Try to get your child to drink more water instead of loading up on sweetened drinks and sodas. Many studies have linked sugary beverages and carbonated drinks to a rise in obesity in children. Also ,these drinks tend to fill them up so they don't have space for nutritous food .

3) Try not to reward children with fast food treats. In a food obscessed culture such as Malaysia, eating out is seen as a treat. Try to use other ways to reward good behaviour and grades instead of bribing children with food.

4) Food control. Food awareness is one the most important thing a parent must know. A growing child needs a balanced diet rich in good fats, protein , fibre , carbohydrates and minerals. Often at the end of a long workday, parents are too tired to hassle their children about proper food and tend to give in and let their child eat what they want. Too many biscuits and chocolates will only lead to an unhealthy child.

5) Involve your children in shopping and preparing food. This will also give you a chance to educate them on healthy food choices and children arem ore inclined to eat a meal if they are involved in the process of making it

Nurturing your child's interest

Have you discovered your child is interested in volcanoes? Or he can't stop talking about animals ? Something other than video games ....what to do next ? Here's how to no nurture his/her interest.....who knows you may have a budding scientist living under your roof

1) Identify what his interests are exactly
2) Get him the books....if he's not a big reader, get him to watch documentaries that are related to his subject of interest
3) Encourage him to talk about it. Listen avidly even if his thoughs are not coherent or even if you think it's impractical
4) Support your child and make time for his new hobby. Human's sense of self is often tied to what they do. So encouraging him to develop new interests will help boost his/her self esteem
5) Have fun. Take him to road shows related to his/her new interest