Healthy eating can start early. We live in a busy, frenetic world, where the pressures on our little ones are also rising – including their physical and mental health. By the time, as adults, we try to fix our diets, fight cravings and lifestyle diseases, reversing habits can become challenging.
If instead, we are able to inculcate mindful eating and healthy ways of life in our children from a young age, it stays with them for life and creates a foundation for a balanced, resilient life they can enjoy to the fullest. Through our own journey as parents, we’ve been deeply concerned about the lasting impact that the food we are giving our little ones will have on their lives.
So, what is the best way to raise kids who are conscious eaters?
Sheela Krishnaswamy, dietitian, nutrition and wellness consultant, Slurrp farm and Mille has spoken about the importance of creating an “enabling environment” early on, which children need to begin to enjoy and understand the benefits of eating healthy. She says: “setting an example, eating healthy ourselves, and keeping nutritious foods at home, are some of the ways we can do this”.
When it comes to what we can do to influence our children’s inclination towards high salt, or sugary foods, she suggests “preparing meals with low sugar and using a natural sugar alternative like jaggery, or even honey”, to help younger children get a balanced start. “Sweets also don’t have to be an everyday thing – we didn’t get desserts everyday! They can be for special occasions; sweets are meant to be a treat, once in a while!”
As our own children grow, we’ve had to find inventive ways to introduce them to food that’s good for them, and to make it fun. And the ingeniousness with which parents have made food healthy over generations is always inspiring to us! Here are some of our favourite hacks to get our little ones started early on eating healthy.
Take them shopping! Nutritionist Kavita Devgan has aptly described this as an unstructured activity” that helps stay fit and healthy – where we can do something active, fun and informative with our kids. A grocery store is often a great classroom where children can learn about food, make choices about what they eat, and feel they have a role to play in choosing what’s for dinner. As they get older, involving kids in prep time for meals, and aspects of cooking which are safe is also a good way to spark their natural curiosity and creativity.
Make superfoods fun
Millets have always been our mantra. For the last 7 years, we’ve worked hard to develop food made with millets that children love, and that are good for them – from dosas, and pancakes, to cereals and snacks. Millets, which offer a gamut of nutrients – from iron, to calcium and magnesium and more– fibre and complex carbohydrates, should be firmly on the wholegrain spectrum. An important part of a balanced diet, Millets are best introduced to children through their favourite foods and snacks.
Plant a (kitchen) garden
This is easier than it sounds. We’ve heard of all kinds – from the occasional potted herbs in the kitchen or balcony, to entire vegetable gardens on the roof in the middle of sprawling urban jungles. Schools play an important role here – and many have started experiential nutrition education. There are also a growing number of gardening and farming activities being offered for kids – explore what’s being organised near you!
Say ‘Yes!’ to the goodness in food
These days even kids know about cheat days. We’ve all heard of ‘food shaming’ -instead of fear-based restrictions we’ve tried to find more ways to say “YES” to the goodness in healthy food. It’s part of our mission to make food that is both delicious and good for children – so that moms can say “yes!” more to their children and give them the foods they love without the associations we’re all used to of guilt, restrictions and bribes to do, and eat, the right things!
Make time
We all want to be the best parent we can be. It’s not easy. Creating healthy environments and activities for our kids, needs an investment of time that not all of us can always afford. Making time for family meals, or to have conversations with our kids about food is something we’ve learnt makes all the difference. Making time for ourselves is essential – so that we can set an example for our little ones by eating right and living balanced lives as their parents.
