While you don’t want to curb your child’s exploration of new foods too much, you do want to avoid foods that score low on the nutritional value scale. Those foods are usually the ones that have many ‘empty’ calories. That means fat, sugar, and refined starches. Those kinds of foods aren’t good for you, and they aren’t good for your children.
However, what do you do when your toddler wants chips, cookies, sweets and fizzy drinks, and you don’t want to provide them with those kinds of bad choices?
The answer is to have healthy alternatives on hand. Instead of chips, offer your child baked pretzels. Instead of sweets, try dried fruit. Offer diluted juices instead of fizzy drinks and add more vegetables to homemade pizza, for example.
There are always ways to get more good foods into your child’s diet, and don’t try to outlaw your child’s favourite treats – you’ll be fighting a losing battle. Rather allow your toddler to have the occasional treat, and make healthier choices the rule the rest of the time.
However, what do you do when your toddler wants chips, cookies, sweets and fizzy drinks, and you don’t want to provide them with those kinds of bad choices?
The answer is to have healthy alternatives on hand. Instead of chips, offer your child baked pretzels. Instead of sweets, try dried fruit. Offer diluted juices instead of fizzy drinks and add more vegetables to homemade pizza, for example.
There are always ways to get more good foods into your child’s diet, and don’t try to outlaw your child’s favourite treats – you’ll be fighting a losing battle. Rather allow your toddler to have the occasional treat, and make healthier choices the rule the rest of the time.
