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Start Healthy Eating Early

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Obesity is on the rise, we can prevent childhood obesity by teaching our children to eat healthy in the early years.

In today’s day and age of reduced exercise and increasing obesity levels, it has become more important than ever to ensure our children are eating healthy. This in itself though, can become a battle that many of us do not know how to fight. Children are stubborn and often very picky eaters. They don't want to eat their fruits and vegetables and it is up to us as parents to come up with ways to get our children to eat healthier.

Here are some tips and tricks:

Monkey see, monkey do. No this doesn't mean to feed them monkeys, what it means is that if we want our children to eat healthy, we also need to eat healthy. We are our children's largest role models and if when we are going for a snack we grab a bag of junk food, you can be sure that is what our children will want too. Instead reach for something healthy like fruit or veggie sticks.

Speaking of veggies sticks and fruit, keeping a ready supply in the fridge and cupboard can encourage children to reach for those foods when in a hungry mood. If no longer given the choice of all the salty, sugary junk, they will slowly begin to eat what is available. Plus having it on hand, will make it an easier choice for the children to make. They will still be able to pick their own snacks and be independent, but moms and dads will know that because all that is in the cupboards are healthy foods, our children will be eating the right foods.

Take the kids along. If we take them with us for the shopping and explain that they will not get the junk food, but can each have so many choices of healthy snacks, they may be willing to eat the healthy stuff because it is something they choose themselves.

If all else fails, trick ‘em. This means if our children pick the vegetables out of spaghetti sauce, puree it first. If they won't eat bananas or other fruits and vegetables bake them into something. Changing the textures and the way the food is served can make all the difference. Make milk shakes with fresh fruit, pick up things like V8 Splash that tastes like fruit, but really is mostly vegetables. Do whatever it takes to ensure they are getting the vitamins and healthy food they need for their growing bodies.

And if that doesn't work, at least ensure they are on a multi-vitamin, suited for children, that will help ensure they are getting all the things they need.

Above all, just keep trying. What a child doesn't like today, they may very well love to eat tomorrow. Their tastes are consistently changing and developing and so too will their appetites for the healthier side of life.

Article by Rachel Goodchild