Eating a balanced diet and being active is essential not only for physical health but also mental health. Changes in lifestyles, social values and spending power means there is increased reliance on snacks and fast-food.
While ‘grazing’ throughout the day can be healthy if it’s part of a balanced diet, in practice it often results in a diet too high in fat and sugar and low in other essential nutrients.
But, there’s a lot you can do as a parent to encourage your son/daughter to develop healthy eating habits.
Make time to sit and enjoy healthy meals as a family. While this can be a challenge, eating meals together has a range of benefits.
Research in the US found that when teenagers take part in regular family meals, where there’s a positive atmosphere, they have:
It also provides an opportunity for sharing, which can help your son/daughter feel more valued and appreciated.
Your eating habits as a parent have an important effect on the eating habits of your son/daughter. If you’re positive about eating healthy foods and enjoy your food, your son/daughter is more likely to be this way too.
Similarly, if you’re negative about eating certain food, focused on body weight or use food as a way of comforting yourself, this may affect the way your son/daughter responds to food.
Think about how you as a parent talk about and respond to food. Be careful when saying things like
For more information about balanced meals and recipe ideas have a look at www.safefood.eu.