What are some of the ways to encourage healthy eating among children?

Answer 1

The following six general guidelines regarding common childhood feeding problems can encourage healthy eating:
Avoid using food to control behavior: Most experts agree that using food as a reward or punishment is not a good idea. Although rewarding a child with treats may correct behaviors in the short term, it will likely create serious food issues down the road.
Model good eating habits: Studies show that if parents or siblings enjoy a particular food, a child will be more likely to enjoy it as well.
Be patient: Childhood food preferences do not always appear rational to adults. Children often judge foods as acceptable or unacceptable based on attributes such as color, texture, and appearance rather than on taste and nutritional value.
Introduce new foods: Making new foods familiar to children is an important first step in food acceptance. Allowing a child to help select and prepare a new food is an effective way to introduce an unfamiliar flavor.
Encourage nutritious snacking: Children need to eat smaller portions and eat more frequently than adults do because children have small stomachs.
Promote self-regulation. It is important that children learn to regulate their food intakes based on internal cues of hunger and satiety. For this reason, serving sizes need to be age appropriate, allowing children to ask for more if desired.