Reasonable nutrition must be demonstrated

Children learn good nutrition from their parents

02/06/2013

"Yuck, spinach!" or "I do not like the soup!" Parents can often sing a song about how picky their kids are when it comes to food. Experts advise that you do not lose your patience and live up to the small healthy diet yourself.

Without raised index finger
When parents try to sell food to their children as healthy, they often fall on deaf ears. For the little ones, health is usually an abstract term that has no relevance to them. Prof. Christoph Klotter from the University of Fulda, says: „A ten-year-old does not understand what a heart attack risk is. He considers a thirty-year-old stone age old.“ Of course, if parents were to eat cereals and vegetables, without the forefinger or big comments, children would accept healthy food much sooner. Klotter explained in the magazine „Nido“, that children from the beginning would very much separate between what they want to eat and what they should eat.

Ask the kids for their wishes
According to an older Forsa survey commissioned by Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), every third child refuses healthy vegetables. The reasons for this are more likely to be found in the parents rather than the taste of the vegetables. Children should be introduced to healthy food from an early age and should not be given food that they do not like. Instead, parents should integrate them as much as possible and participate in the food selection. Klotter advises: „Just ask what the kid wants.“ The chance that they would later change their food variety is the greater the sooner they are involved in the selection and preparation. Even if it is sometimes a bit expensive to discuss the menu with the offspring, „It is worth it. This is a time sacrifice that should be brought.“ (Sb)

Picture: Helene Souza