NUTRITION AUTHOR
Mia Barnes
TO EAT, OR NOT TO EAT? n Do you have a kid who just won’t
eat anything? Here are some tips and snacks to provide nutrition to those picky eaters.
P
romotional packaging and efficient marketing techniques make healthy eating for kids a bit complicated. Fruit chews featuring “Paw Patrol” will make your son scream for Chase’s gummies. On the other hand, this can be an asset to provide more healthy snacks if used in the same context. Without promotion, good foods can be a battle for some little ones. Here are some effective ways to marry healthy and delicious. This way, you both win.
This takes away from how good vegetables taste and how they benefit your health. Instead of forcing them to eat fruits and veggies, center your focus on teaching them how good these foods are for you and why, as well as how delicious they taste.
Encourage Snacks and Smiles
It’s common knowledge that too many sweets can lead to cavities, but most people don’t know that healthier foods promote better smiles. According to an article by Dr. Albert Song, a dentist at 172 NYC Dental, foods with high pH levels packed with nutrients lead to stronger and healthier teeth, while lower levels tend to make teeth appear dirty and pale. Ensuring children eat higher pH foods that are unprocessed and uncooked will lead to brighter smiles by stimulating teeth and gums. Eating healthier is excellent for oral hygiene as well as overall health. Almonds, carrots, berries and pumpkin seeds are ideal choices. Try to incorporate these into your kids’ diets.
Value the Vegetable
Encouraging your children to eat their vegetables before they can have dessert has the potential to backfire. Making them eat veggies to get a reward takes the emphasis off the healthy food and causes it to lose value. In the future, kids might associate vegetables with something they have to do only to get something better.
AUGUST 2022
14
