Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : September 5, 2014 6:14 PM IST
September 1-7 is National Nutrition Week.
Getting a child to eat healthy is a nightmare for every mother. With kids, healthy food is never acceptable and their favourite foods hardly has any nutritional value. Hence it's every mother's dilemma how to help her child eat better. While tricks and spanking might lead to short-term results, it is better to teach your child the value of nutrition to help him eat better. Here's how you can make your child eat healthier:
Tell your child the difference between healthy and tasty food
A pastry will make your child feel full and satiated, but it will not help in any nutritional sense. However saying no to such junk will just upset your child. Talk to your child about food with various books that show the development of the human body and the foods that help in the process. Tell your child why his favourite cartoon character Popeye the Sailor ate spinach instead of chocolate. Long term or chronic undernutrition leads to a condition known as 'stunting' which means less than reduced physical growth (short height) and mental development. Keep in mind that 90% of the human brain development occurs from the 3rd month of pregnancy to 3 years of life. Inadequate energy and micronutrients in this critical period of growth can lead to irreversible brain damage. So urge your baby to have nutrition-rich food in a fun way.
Make sure he knows that being fat is not the same things as being strong
Obese children look cute and are loveable but they are not necessarily healthy. Now children usually live with the notion that fat means strong and they can do without having the greens and the vegetables laid on the plate for them. Obese kids are more at the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, fatty liver and other health complications. It is more important for you to teach them the importance of healthy living and eating more than any other chores. Remember being obese is also a form of malnutrition.
Urge your underweight child to eat healthy
Did you know that India has the most number of children under five who suffer from malnutrition? It's not a statistic to be proud og and if your child falls into the category you sure need to make your baby understand that such problems can be solved by choosing to live and eat healthy. Falling short of average height and weight affects a child's mental and physical health and is an important marker of malnutrition. Iron deficiency, Vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency is common among children who are underweight and suffer from malnutrition. This often affects their brain development and is a major cause for ill-health.
Tell your child that healthy food is the foundation of a healthy future
Children are the future of our country. You need to ensure that your child have rights and access to health and education, two key factors that are essential for growth and development. After all healthy children will make future leaders of our nation.
Image source: Getty Images
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