Children and adolescents have very different lifestyle and dietary needs compared to adults. If you are an adult with children of your own, I am sure you have experienced the seemingly endless amounts of energy and your children’s unhealthy desire for fast foods and sweets. If you’re a child or teenager yourself, I’m sure you’re tired of your parents nagging and complaining of “stop eating McDonalds!”, “Eat your veggies!”, “have some fruit”, ” French fries again? and various other objections to eating.
The truth is; If children or adolescents do not eat well, they will not develop properly, they will be more likely to be overweight, they will be more susceptible to various diseases, cardiovascular diseases and acne, and they will be more likely to have erratic moods, experience depression and basically experience a lower level of enjoyment of life.
Now, the million dollar question is; “If I’m a parent, how am I going to get my kids to eat healthy, or if I’m a teenager or a child, how do I start eating healthy?”
For parents: The first important piece of advice I can give you is: children imitate people who they feel are good role models. Therefore, trying to get your children to eat healthy has to start with yourself. Once you have a healthy diet and enjoy a healthy lifestyle, your children will naturally begin to develop healthy eating and living habits. I have listed below other tips and suggestions that I recommend to help promote healthy eating and living for your children:
Eat together: When the whole family is sitting at the table having breakfast or dinner, your children will observe what you have cooked or eaten. Also, mealtimes are the best way to maintain and develop closer relationships with your children, as families naturally tend to have conversations over meals. In addition to the health benefits of a balanced, nutritious meal, studies have shown that children with stable family relationships have higher self-esteem and tend to do better in school.
Get them involved: Whether you’re shopping for groceries or cooking your meals, get your kids involved. Learn to read nutrition labels and show them to your children when you go shopping. Compare and contrast the difference in nutritional content between products (ie chips and noodles) and help them select the healthiest meals and snacks for their lunch boxes. The key is also to give them some freedom to choose what food products they want. If they select something unhealthy, gently remind them of the nutritional content and advise them to only eat it occasionally as a treat. When cooking, show them what is really in the food they eat and let them help by ‘decorating’ and garnishing the food, stirring the soup or setting the table, etc. This encourages children to be proactive at home, understand nutritious foods and promote family togetherness.
Keep healthy snacks within reach, put unhealthy snacks out of reach: Place the fruits in a fruit bowl on the kitchen bench where it is most convenient and where everyone can see. Or have pre-cut fruit like watermelon and pop it in a Tupperware in the fridge for easy, optimal flavor if your kids are craving a quick snack. Nuts and low-fat pretzels also make great snacks, so open a package and pour them into a bowl for easy access. Snacks like chocolate, high-calorie muesli bars, and sweets should be stored in the upper cabinet out of sight. The less your child sees it, the less likely they are to eat it!
Use supplements: If your kids won’t touch their greens or your teen has erratic eating habits due to peer group and social activities, supplements are a great way to make up for a lack of nutrients that comes from an unbalanced diet. For children, look for supplements that have “fun” shapes and flavors to make them appealing, but make sure they don’t contain artificial flavors or sweeteners. Nutrients that are important for children ages 5-12 include calcium for bone growth and zinc for sharper, improved memory. Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, folate, biotin, and niacin are also important in providing your children with enough antioxidants for optimal protection against disease and optimal immune function. For teens, look for a supplement that covers and provides a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals for optimal body support, as this is the stage when your body is undergoing the most growth and development. Essential nutrients include vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, biotin, calcium, folate, iodine, lutein, lycopene, magnesium, niacin, riboflavin, rutin, selenium, thiamin, turmeric extract, and zinc. Make sure the supplement you’re buying has these vitamins and minerals at a minimum to ensure healthy immune function and optimal health for their growing teen bodies.
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Now, for children and adolescents: The first rule of sustainable healthy eating is: Don’t cut junk food out of your life entirely. If you try to do this, this will usually lead to intense cravings for junk food which sooner or later you are likely to give up and binge on. The trick is to enjoy the unhealthy things once in a while, and substitute or swap out the unhealthy things for the healthy things regularly.
I’ve listed some healthier junk food alternative ideas to get you started. But… be creative! The options for a healthier alternative can be endless!
Burger <--------------> Sandwich with lean meat and less dressing
Chicken Nuggets <--------------> Real chicken coated in breadcrumbs and baked
French Fries/Hot French Fries <--------------> Oven-Roasted Potato Chips with Herb Seasoning and Minimal Salt
Fried chicken <--------------> Grilled chicken
Potato chips <--------------> Nuts, Pretzels, Crackers, Grainwaves Potato Chips, Microwave Popcorn
muesli bar <--------------> Muesli with honey or healthy low-fat, high-fiber chocolate bar
Ice creams <--------------> Healthy frozen yogurt, shakes and smoothies
Cakes <--------------> Bagels/rye bread with a thin layer of low-fat strawberry jam
Chinese takeaway <--------------> Sushi
Pizza for take away <--------------> Homemade pizza with pita bread as a base and fresh ingredients with low-fat cheese
Also remember to get enough sleep for the best health results! Sleep is important as it improves your alertness and focus (so you’ll do better in school!) and it’s the only part of the day where your body has a chance to fully recover, recover and heal. Sleep, along with exercise, will also help increase your energy levels to help you last through your classes. Exercise, combined with a healthy diet, will prevent disease and help maintain a healthy physique and a healthy growing body…what you want!
Lastly, avoid cigarettes and alcohol. There is a reason they are frowned upon. Both cigarettes and alcohol will affect your mental and physical health and increase your chances of developing lung disease and cancer. The longer you have given yourself over to them, the more difficult it will be for you to leave and avoid them. So be smart, start young, start cultivating healthy habits early, and avoid harmful addictive habits and lifestyles.
If you are interested and would like more guidance and information on achieving a balanced diet and the consequences of a poor diet, please visit for more articles specifically related to these topics.
But for now, remember, important healthy eating and living habits start young and will stay with you for life. So…as parents would say…Eat the vegetables! (Or at least some of it!)
~ queen
