Getting Children into Healthy Eating Habits

In order for children to grow and develop in a healthy way, it is important to pay attention to their nutrition. However, ensuring that they consume only healthy foods may not be as easy as parents think. Therefore, parents need a road map to help children develop healthy eating habits. Before this roadmap, parents should first educate themselves about healthy nutrition.

Of course, we will touch upon what parents can and should not do in this regard. But first, it is useful to underline some critical points.

• Research has shown that children can develop a prejudice against foods that parents turn their noses up at. Do not expect your child to eat a food that you do not eat. A food that you have not even tasted may not even be perceived as a food that can be consumed by children.
• Eating with the family, even if not at all meals, is also important and increases children's appetite. Children who observe their parents enjoying their meals want to participate in this enjoyment and thus it becomes easier for them to acquire healthy eating behaviors.
• We know that it is very difficult for parents not to intervene. However, if you constantly intervene and comment on your child's eating at every feeding time, you will not be satisfied with the picture that emerges. Because the situation becomes boring for children and even the arrival of feeding times can cause tension in children.
• A common mistake is telling children "if you don't eat enough you won't grow up", "if you don't eat this food your hands will stay small", "if you don't finish your plate I won't let you play". Parents may not even realize it, but this kind of discourse can have a traumatic effect on children, leading them to avoid food and changing the meaning of 'nutrition' for them. Avoid using intimidation or punishment to get your children to eat.

The 3N+1N Rule for Feeding Children? What is that?

The 3N+1N rule recommended by nutritionists can be an important road map for families in terms of teaching children healthy eating habits. This method, also known as the 3N1K rule, is as follows:

The parents will decide:

• WHEN will it be eaten?
• WHERE to eat?
• WHAT to eat?

The child will decide:

• HOW MUCH to eat?

The rule is quite simple, but it may not be easy for parents to apply at first. However, according to nutritionists, this rule is the cornerstone of teaching children the right and balanced diet. Because this rule, which can eliminate the anxiety that children experience while eating, can make you see the results clearly after a short period of time. Forcing children to eat another spoonful when they say they are full has the opposite effect. In other words, children may have some concerns about feeding time. So, what should be considered when applying the 3N+1N rule?

First of all, parents need to get rid of their own worries. An easy way to get rid of worries such as "did he get enough vitamins and minerals", "is he really full", "he needs to eat this food, what can I do" is to improve yourself in healthy eating. There are also many methods that you can implement very easily. You can try these methods and get your children to eat healthy foods easily.

Easy Ways to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables

• Get creative! Vegetables may not be an attractive food for children. To get them to eat vegetables, you can boil foods such as carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cabbage, colorful peppers, zucchini and cut them into sticks. You can also prepare a delicious sauce and suggest that they dip these sticks in the sauce and eat them.
• You can cut vegetables into shapes and prepare a fun plate. You can present a plate of vegetables cut in the shape of stars as a "night plate" and tell children that they can start eating from any color they like. Even if you say that when the stars on the plate are finished, it will be morning and daytime will begin, it can make children warm to this dish. In a sense, you can gamify food and present it to children.
• Colors are always interesting for children. You can mix different colored vegetables. A dish with colorful peppers is more appealing to children than a dish with one color of peppers.
• Another easy way is to serve two different meals with the same vegetables. No matter which one your child chooses, he or she will have consumed the vegetables.

Get Children's Feeding Time Right!

You should also pay attention to meal times to ensure that he/she adopts a healthy eating habit. Here are the factors you should consider at this point:

• Set meal times and do not change them.
• There should be at least 2 hours between main and snack meals!
• Meal times should not be when children are very hungry or sleepy!
• Do not choose time periods that are important to your child, such as their favorite cartoon time, as feeding times!
• Make sure he/she does not drink too much liquid just before a meal.

Where to Start? What to do?

One piece of information after another can cause confusion. First of all, forget about the diet or habits you have been following until now. By adopting a new diet, you can ensure that your child also adopts healthy eating habits. Let us tell you where to start and what you can do!

• Prepare an environment where your child can sit comfortably at the table. The height of the chair should allow him/her to eat comfortably and the cutlery he/she uses should be comfortable!
• The plates and cups your child eats from can be fun, colorful and interesting.
• Let him/her eat on his/her own. Do not intervene immediately if he spills his food or wants to mix his food.
• Chat, but don't get into distracting topics.
• When he/she takes a break, do not immediately warn him/her to continue eating. Wait for a short time and then sweetly encourage them to continue eating.
• Don't wait until children are very hungry for mealtime. When children are very hungry, they can become irritable and refuse to eat altogether.
• Do not force your child. Do not say things like "at least taste it" or "you have to eat a spoonful". You can offer the food he/she does not want to consume in different ways and make him/her interested in time.
• Do not try to distract your child with TV, tablet or phone. At mealtime, the whole family should be at the table eating and you should not be on your phone or tablet.
• When he/she does not want to come to the table, do not force him/her, do not get angry, do not threaten him/her. You can only say things that will draw his/her attention to the dinner table.
• It is not right to try to stop your child from eating by buying junk food at home. Do not buy unhealthy foods.
• There is nothing wrong with your child turning food into a game. They may want to drink their food from a glass or try to eat their soup with a fork. Do not interfere with this kind of gamification.
• Don't create alternatives for fear of "he won't eat". The biggest mistake parents make is to have a favorite food on the table in case the child does not like the prepared food. In this case, just like adults, children gravitate towards their favorite food. Do not create alternatives, give your child time to consume healthy foods.
• Children even observe their parents' facial expressions and can take them as role models. You can show that you enjoy eating with your facial expressions. Sayings such as "the food is delicious", "I love this food" can make children interested in that food.
• Pressure and coercion cause stress in children, which translates into anorexia. Do not adopt an oppressive attitude towards food.
• Get him to help you prepare the meal. Giving him simple tasks to do, such as stirring the salad or putting the plates on the table, can keep him interested in food.