Junk food is popular for a reason – it is appealing to both children and adults alike. Convenience food (also known as ‘fast food’), confectionary, carbonated drinks and other unhealthy items are popular with children, and are extremely irresistible. It’s important for family wellness, however, to ensure that these types of food are not a regular part of your child’s diet. Anything is fine in moderation, of course, but too much junk food can lead to a lack of nutrition in the diet, and can also teach them unhealthy habits which then lead to weight problems both now and in later life.
How do you persuade children, however, that such delicious items should not be a regular part of the menu? Children often have very little concern for their own wellbeing, and need your guidance to make sure that their young lives are healthy.
The first step is to get rid of all the junk food from your home. Simply not having anything unhealthy in the cupboards will be a great step towards not having it as a regular occurrence. If it simply doesn’t exist in the cupboard, it can’t be asked for or eaten.
Talking to your children about a healthy diet and the things that are a part of this is another important step. This will help them take a proactive role in maintaining their own health. In an age-appropriate way, discuss why some food is better for us than others. You can even take your children grocery shopping with you as a follow-up exercise, so that they can help you choose some healthy food. As part of this, your children can select ingredients and help you to prepare a healthy meal for the whole family. This helps to give your child control over their own diet, and should also be good fun and educational.
You can also help by providing a positive role model with your own diet. Have a healthy breakfast together as a family and then use this good foundation to have a junk-free day.
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