How to stop your Kids from Eating Junk Food?

As per the data collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average American family today spends approximately half of their food budget eating outside the home. This could be the result of our fast-paced lives or the scrumptious burgers and pizzas that are so hard to resist. But while eating out once in a while may present as a refreshing experience for our taste buds, consumption of junk food on a regular basis can lead to several health issues.

A report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics also claimed that almost one-third of all American kids aged between two and 19 consume junk food items on a daily basis. As a result of this fast-food culture, the percentage of obese kids in the US has more than tripled in the past four decades. Approximately one in five school-aged children, between the ages of six and 19 are suffering from obesity.

Here are some Tips How to stop kids from eating junk food :

1. Include them in the entire process of buying and preparing food. Bring them to the grocery store with you and teach them how to select fruits and vegetables. Offer very young children a choice — “Do you want grapes or bananas?” Explain to them why certain foods are good for them and eating junk food are bad for them , and if they old enough to understand, teach them about the importance of vitamins and minerals.

2. Engage them in the cooking process in an age-appropriate way. Allow them to be your helpers. Get them a little chef’s apron and a hat to make the entire process more entertaining. You can even name the dishes after them like — “Lisa’s Mashed Potatoes” or “Taylor’s Fruit Salad”.

3. Try not to talk about your dieting habits or your wish to lose weight in front of your children. Rather than focusing on losing weight, talk about making healthy food choices and eating healthy in order to increase child’s energy and improve their health. Please, DO NOT offer candy as rewards.

4. Tell your children that it is OK to have a treat once in a while. Popcorn at the movies or ice-cream on a hot, sunny day is perfectly acceptable.

Here are some Easy Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More of the Good Stuff

1. Kale Chips. If not for this crunchy, flavorful snack, I doubt Felix would have ever tried kale. You can add nutritional yeast — which is full of B vitamins — for a cheesy flavor.

2. Salads. Yes, even Felix will try salads if I make them the right way. You can experiment with mincing the veggies really small or even grating them to make them easier to chew. Try adding sweets like berries, apples or any dried fruit.

3. Sweet Potato “Fries.” Sweet potatoes, full of fiber and beta carotene, are more nutritious than their white cousins, but even regular potatoes, if sliced and baked instead of fried, make a great snack and certainly better than the greasy alternative you’ll get in a diner.

4. Crunchy Shitake Sticks. Shitake mushrooms are known for their immune-boosting and cancer-preventing properties, and they are also a great source of iron. Slice the tops off of the mushrooms and roast them after coating with olive oil and sea salt. The result is a delicious crunchy snack or side dish that will be a huge hit with both adults and kids.

5. “Green” Smoothies. Felix is predictably fussy about the color of his smoothies; if it’s green, he won’t taste it. So, I make sure to include plenty of antioxidant-rich berries so the finished smoothie is purple or blue. What Felix doesn’t see is that I add spinach and baby romaine for added greens, neither of which changes the taste of the smoothie (kale will, by the way). You can add banana, dates and frozen mixed berries to the blender with a little water, and for added protein I add hemp seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds.

6. Buttery Winter Squash. There are so many varieties of squash, all of them rich in cancer-inhibiting carotenoids, and many of them quite delicious. You can slice it into sticks and bake it as is, and it’s a great finger food. A little butter and maple syrup make it especially decadent, but some children will eat it even without. Other kid-pleasing squashes are butternut, buttercup and acorn.

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