NITI Aayog Adviser Alok Kumar reveals that only 9 per cent children get proper nutrition. ©Shutterstock
Learning about nutrition and health from an early age is essential for children. Kids tend to pick up their dietary and lifestyle habits from their surroundings. Nutrition education can influence the way that children view food choices and eating habits. Akansha Jhalani Sinha from bon happeteetells you how you can inspire your kids to reach for healthy, homemade food, non-processed foods.
Why is nutrition education important?
The commission on childhood obesity found that 41 million under-fives overweight or obese. Also, World Bank data indicates that India has one if the world s highest demographics of children suffering from malnutrition. Nutrition education is important to prevent all these health implications.
Many of you may force children to eat healthily but forcing and pressuring can cause a kid to eat less and dislike certain foods. Restricting children makes them want to eat more.Forcing destroys a child s natural appetite, and the child develops no control over her eating habits. This will result in her overeating or under-eating as she or he grows up. Nutrition education helps children to combat the endless array of aggressive marketing techniques put forth by companies shilling sugary treats, processed snacks and fast food options by teaching them the correlation between eating healthy and living well. Fun activities and graphics can be used to teach kids about pairing the right foods. Here are the top nutritional deficiencies in India.
Here are a few steps you can take to inspire your child to eat right
Fridge it right: Ditch the junk foods and stock your pantry and fridge with a variety of tasty, wholesome options. That way, every dietary choice your child makes in your home will be a healthy one.
Introduce healthy foods: Introduce healthy new dishes each week, while continuing to serve one or two familiar foods.
Let the kids join: Also let kids have fun helping you cook meals or arrange foods on a plate. For younger kids, veggies may taste better when shaped into a smiley face, while older children may take pride in cooking greens they like, then being creative with spices or garnishes.
Let them decide: By encouraging your kids to make their decisions about what to eat (from an assortment of healthy options), they start learning to take responsibility for their nutrition. Here are 5 healthy recipes your kids will love.
Allow kids to make dietary mistakes and learn from them: Avoid scolding your children about poor dietary choices. Instead, look for opportunities to help them learn from the consequences. For example, you might point out that the junk food son or daughter ate a friend s party could be what caused the tummy ache or nausea or bad motions that struck afterwards.
Help them develop the bond with food : If your kids eat something nutritious, ask them how they feel. Suggest names for these feelings, such as energized or happy. Or if they eat junk or desserts outside, point it out to them that they feel hyper or dull because of the food.
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