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Childhood is the best time to learn the healthy habits that can last a lifetime.
Healthy eating can help your child feel good, stay at or reach a healthy weight, and have lots of energy for school and play. In fact, healthy eating can help your whole family live better.
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Share the responsibility. You decide when, where, and what the family eats. Your child chooses whether and how much to eat from the options you provide.
Young children are good at listening to their bodies. They eat when they're hungry. They stop when they're full. When we try to control how much children eat, we interfere with this natural ability. Keeping this division of responsibility helps your child stay in touch with those internal cues.
Help your children learn to eat slowly and recognize when they are full. Don't let rules, pleading, or bargaining dictate your child's eating patterns.
You can use some or all of the ideas below to get started. You may find other ideas that work for your family, and you can add those to these lists.
Help your children understand healthy eating by teaching them about food-where it comes from, how it grows, what nutrients it contains, and how many calories (how much energy) it has.
ByHealthwise StaffPrimary Medical ReviewerKathleen Romito, MD - Family MedicineSpecialist Medical ReviewerRhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator
Current as ofMay 4, 2017
Current as of: May 4, 2017
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator
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