Every child is obliged to take food in their daily diet as it is very crucial for their development. Because of that, good and healthy food is the choice of parent for their children. Instead, healthy foods are often rejected by almost children. They prefer to eat snacks, sweets, chocolate, processed food like sausages, nuggets, crab stick and others to replace staple food.

Poor eating habit in children indicates that they consume excessively high energy diet in everyday meals especially a sugary type food. Parents who are not aware about this must be very careful if your kids are diagnosed with obese and it may prolong until they become an adult. Processed meat is the most favorite food among children because of its excellent taste isn’t? To be frank, that savory taste in processed food is due to high content of salt and it is extremely dangerous for young age children to consume every day. Rather than giving those processed meat to your kids you can replace it with real meat or make your own sausage by adding some vegetables like carrot or broccoli as part of your ingredients. It sounds interesting right?

What parent can do?

• Be a good role model for your kids because they may model both their parent’s eating behavior
• Avoid eating out or ordering outside food like fast food into a habit
• Start encouraging healthy eating from young by making variety of healthy menu
• Eat together as a family as often as you can
• Don’t introduce your kids with any sugary food/drink like carbonated drinks as it will make them addicted too much
• Avoid giving treats or promising food as a reward but replaced it with non-food item like a cartoon sticker
• Play more and be active together to encourage healthier lifestyle since their young age
• Please don’t force them to eat food they don’t like, persuade them in moderate way as children follow by examples

It is still not too late to start it! InshaALLAH we can do it together. Happy Parenting!

REFERENCE

Brown, R. & Ogden, J. 2004. Children’s eating attitudes and behavior; a study of the modelling and control theories of parental influence. Health Education Research: 19(3): 261-271.