Happy Kids Healthy Kids Feed Kids Healthy Food t here are major benefits to feeding children healthy food

Happy Kids Healthy Kids - Feed Kids Healthy Food

T here are major benefits to feeding children healthy food. Healthy food builds children who think more clearly, are less prone to illness, and are stronger. Children who eat healthfully may live longer, healthier lives, and can prevent obesity.
Teaching children to eat well may seem overwhelming, but is actually very simple if you follow these 6 simple ways.
Eat together. Family meals are a reassuring routine for the whole family. This is the time kids actually get to observe their parent's eating habits. Although that puts the pressure on you to eat a well-balanced and well-proportioned meal, and eat with good manners, it pays off with a lifetime of early-developed good habits in your children.
Serve a variety of food. Don't serve always the same menu. Periodically change and purchase a food you or your family has never tried before. The benefits of variety are many; intake of a variety of vitamins and minerals, more aesthetic appeal, and development of more accepting taste-buds. When serving a meal, try to aim for different colours and textures. If your children get into the habit of seeing fruits and vegetables at every dinner meal, they'll expect them at other meals as well.
Keep healthy foods convenient. When kids are hungry they grab for the closest and easiest food. Have fruits and vegetables pre-washed and ready on the counter when they come home from school. If you want, they can dip fruit or vegetables in a low-fat cream cheese dip or in peanut butter. If unhealthy foods aren't within reach and ready to eat, they won't eat them.
Limit portions. Teach your children moderation, and practise it yourself. Children sometimes don't know when to stop eating. Show them what an appropriate portion size is for them, and teach them self control when they want more. Moderating vegetable and fruit consumption usually isn't the problem; popcorn, potato chips, and cookies are harder to stop eating.
A void processed foods. "Processed" refers to foods that aren't derived naturally; such as potato chips, candy, and cookies or cupcakes. Choose foods that are closer to nature, such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, cheese and yogurt. Refined products such as white sugar and white flour are easily overeaten, stored as fat, and cause rapid changes in blood sugar. Whole grains, nuts, and honey have more staying power and are digested more slowly so that they provide the energy a child needs to make it through the day. Studies have shown that children who limit their refined foods actually think more clearly, and sleep better, among many other benefits.
Don't link emotion with food. Many times parents reward children with food. Although this is okay sometimes, if done too often it can cause children to link food with behaviour, and tying an emotion to food may create problems later on. If you reward your child with food, make it a healthful choice, such as making them their favorite healthful dinner, or going out for low-fat frozen yogurt.
Parents, who neglect to teach children proper eating habits, who feed their children highly processed foods, and who reward children with food, leave their kids susceptible to obesity.
http://www.shapefit.com – by Alice Burron

M atch the underlined words with their meaning.

B - Read the text and find evidence of the following ideas.

1. 
   When children eat well, they are healthier.
   
2. 
   While parents eat, children observe and imitate them.
   
3. 
   Once in a while change the menu.
   
4. 
   Don’t let children eat big quantities of food.
   
5. 
   Children who eat more natural food, think and sleep better.
   

3. 
   Answer the following questions
   

1. 
   Which are the consequences of eating well?
   
2. 
   Why should people avoid eating processed food?
   
3. 
   What consequences can a food reward have on a child?