Healthy eating habits begin with baby's very first bites of solid food. Research has shown that eating habits are established by the age of three, so if children are used to eating a healthy selection of foods they are more likely to continue choosing these foods throughout childhood. Having a well-balanced diet will protect your child from childhood obesity, childhood type 2 diabetes, heart disease as well as many other health problems later in life.
A healthy diet for babies does not mean putting your baby on a diet. It means offering your child a variety of healthy foods and limiting the amount of sugary and fatty foods your child doesn't need. If a food has no nutritional value, such as candy, potato chips or soda, simply don't offer these to your child. Once children eat sweats or fatty foods and it becomes a part of their diet they acquire a taste for them. The best way to limit these foods is not to offer them at such an early age to begin with.
Here are some helpful ways to keep your child on the healthy track.
Eat Healthy
Babies learn by watching you. If you eat a donut for breakfast and candy and soda with lunch your child will eventually want to eat these too. Look at your own diet and see where you can switch unhealthy foods you already eat with nutritious fruits and vegetables. Your baby will be more likely to continue eating healthy choices if you eat them too.
Serve Plenty of Milk
Babies need plenty of breast milk or formula during their first year of life, but drinking milk should continue long after baby is off the bottle or breast. Serve your child the recommended amounts of milk each day. Nutritionists believe whole milk is best for children up to age two and after that a low-fat variety will do. Bones strengthen during childhood, so you want your child to get the calcium he needs for healthy bones.
Water is Important
Give your baby water instead of sweetened juice. Water is important for digestion, to regulate body temperature and for overall cell health in the body. Babies who are used to drinking water will be water drinkers later on in life.
Encourage Variety
Serving a variety of foods early in life will help baby prefer these foods later on. Introduce foods with different textures, flavors and smells for baby to eat. If your baby doesn't like certain foods at first, try serving them again later on. Research shows it can take up to 20 times of serving a different food before children will eat it. However, don't force your baby to eat something he doesn't want. Move on to the next food and attempt the other one another day.
Keep a Meal Schedule
Children become hungry several times a day so try to keep a schedule and feed your baby 4-5 small meals and snacks each day instead of three large meals a day. This helps to keep your child's energy up and maintain a steady metabolism. Children and adults who eat this way tend to avoid becoming overweight or obese.
Avoid Giving Sweets as Rewards or for Comfort Food
It's easy to promise a cupcake or candy bar at the end of a shopping trip to make children behave but it's best not to get into this habit. Children will think of sweats as rewards and learn to use food that way throughout life. Food should be considered as fuel, not as a reward or to eat when sad or bored.
Make Mealtime Pleasurable
With our busy lives and schedules it is sometimes difficult to make time for a sit-down meal, especially several a day. But teaching baby to eat-on-the-run is one of the worst habits he can learn. Try setting aside time for baby's meals so it is a peaceful, fun experience. You will find you digest your food much better this way too.
Sweets are Fine in Small Doses
We all love an occasional cookie or piece of candy so it is impossible to completely eliminate sweets. It is best to avoid serving sweets to your young baby and wait until your child is older to allow sweets as an occasional treat. Eating sweets as a treat teaches your child that sweets are not for every day, but are for special occasions.
Avoid Sodas and Sweetened Juice
There is no nutritional value in soda and very little in sweetened juice. Aside from that, there is too much sugar in these products and many contain additional ingredients that are actually harmful to the body. Avoid serving these to babies and young children and opt for milk, water or 100% juice.
Serving your baby healthy foods in those first few years of life will help to give your child a good start on a long, healthy life.
