Tips

Tips to Help Kids Stop Snacking

Growing children require ample calories to sustain their development. In the absence of access to nutritious food, they tend to gravitate towards unhealthy products.

Administrator

20 April, 2024

According to a recent study, children are prone to snacking and frequently indulge in unhealthy treats.

Unhealthy snacking options, such as cookies, chips, pastries, and instant noodles, are prevalent in most places where children are present.

Moreover, children’s increased exposure to outdoor environments, television advertisements, and peer influence also impact their dietary choices.

Additionally, children may gravitate towards a particular food product and become irritable when adults fail to understand their cravings.

It is common for parents to become concerned about their children’s snacking habits and may seek advice on how to help their child stop snacking.

While doing so requires effort and consistency, implementing some of the following tips can help your child develop healthier snacking habits.

Make snacking a fun affair

This is where you have to go the extra mile to make healthy snacks appealing. Your child may come home from school or an afternoon activity and be impatient while waiting for dinner.

This is when the unhealthy snack cravings kick in. Parents can combat this by having wholesome fruit and yogurt parfaits, fruit or vegetable platters with interesting dips, ready to go.

Other ideas can include apple slices with chocolate peanut butter, a colorful fruit salad, or dried fruit. You may also want to consult your pediatrician for healthy snack ideas, then incorporate them into your spread.

Become a healthy snacker

Children mimic adults more than you may realize. They easily pick up on your traits and habits, so you might as well use this to your advantage.

In essence, be the healthy snack role model by expressing how much you enjoy eating healthy, how delicious it is, and how you don’t even want to share.

Avoid snacking on unhealthy treats as much as possible. Sit down and eat with your child, and make sure to put everything you want your child to eat on your plate as well. Your child may actually start eating healthy just to feel like they are on the same level as their parents.

Establish regular meal and snack times

Getting into a routine helps regulate unhealthy snacking. Have specific times for all of your meals, and make sure to eat them together as much as possible.

While it is not ideal to deny your child food if they are hungry at odd hours, you can use this as an opportunity to set rules about only eating healthy options.

Additionally, creating a weekly meal plan and having your child help with some of the decision-making will make them feel more responsible.

The goal is to make healthy eating a fun routine that your child can easily follow.

Don’t reward your child with unhealthy foods

Rewards are a great way to shape good traits and behaviors in your child. However, using unhealthy snacks as rewards only reinforces poor eating habits.

Most junk foods are full of addictive flavor enhancers that make your child crave them even more, so it’s best to let your child know that unhealthy foods are not a reward. This is the first step to helping your child quit junk food.

Limit your child’s sugar intake

Studies have shown that sugar is one of the most addictive substances today. While our bodies only need a small amount of sugar to function properly, humans tend to overconsume it because it tastes good and gives us a sense of pleasure.

One of the top children’s health tips is to avoid giving your child sugar until they are older. Even then, do not make sugar consumption a habit. Refined sugar is best substituted with fruit and honey.

Explain to your child the benefits of healthy snacking

As your child gets older, making them feel involved and responsible will influence the type of choices they make. Make a conscious effort to explain to them, from time to time, how unhealthy snacking is detrimental to their health.

If your child is involved in sports or outdoor activities, use this as an opportunity to encourage better eating habits. Let your child know that they can only perform better if they eat healthy and guide them on how to stop snacking.

According to VTC

Frequently asked questions

Making healthy snacks fun is key. Prepare interesting options like fruit and yogurt parfaits, fruit/veggie platters with dips, apple slices with chocolate peanut butter, or a colorful fruit salad. Be creative and consult a pediatrician for more ideas.

Children mimic adults, so be a healthy snacking role model. Express your enjoyment of healthy snacks and avoid unhealthy treats as much as possible. Eat with your child and ensure you also eat the foods you want them to eat. They may start eating healthy to feel like they’re on the same level as you.

Getting into a routine helps regulate unhealthy snacking. Set specific times for meals and try to eat together. While you shouldn’t deny your child food if they’re hungry outside these times, use this as an opportunity to enforce rules about only eating healthy options. Involve your child in creating a weekly meal plan to foster a sense of responsibility.

While rewards can shape good behaviors, using unhealthy snacks as rewards reinforces poor eating habits. Junk foods often contain addictive flavor enhancers, so it’s best to avoid sending the message that unhealthy foods are a reward.

Sugar is highly addictive, and our bodies only need a small amount. Avoid giving your child sugar until they are older, and even then, don’t make it a habit. Refined sugar is best replaced with fruit and honey.

As children get older, involve them in discussions about the benefits of healthy snacking and the drawbacks of unhealthy options, especially if they are involved in sports or outdoor activities. Emphasize how healthy eating can improve their performance.