How Can I Improve My Child’s Nutrition?

Keeping your child healthy relies a great deal on nutrition. In this guide, Dr. Michael Taymor and Dr. Lama Rimawi provide tips to help parents in Palo Alto, CA improve this area of their children’s lives.

5 Tips for Improving Your Child’s Nutrition 

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your kids healthy and happy. Nutrition can play a role in both. However, providing proper nutrition can be a battle with busy schedules. And it’s no secret that kids prefer sweets. So how can parents win when faced with such challenges?

1. Don’t Go Overboard

When changing diet, the important thing is to be easy with it. Make a list of what your child normally eats. Then, use the tips below to make changes gradually.

2. Limit Unhealthy Snacks 

The key word here is limit – not ban. Just cut back. You might try making your child a basket of snacks for the month. If your child is old enough, explain that these snacks have to last until X date. When they are aware that this is all they get for a certain time, they’ll typically try to make them last on their own. If you find they are overindulging, you can remove the basket and hand them out over that period.

3. Keep Healthy Things Visible 

When kids are hungry for a snack, they’ll often reach for the first thing they see. If that’s a bag of chips, that’s what they’ll grab. If it’s a bowl of apples, however, they’ll make the healthier choice naturally.

4. Work on Replacing Ingredients 

Sometimes, all you need to do is change what you use to cook with or supply to your family. For instance, replace whole milk with low-fat milk or butter with olive oil.

5. Cook At Home 

If your schedule is overbooked, this one can be tough. However, cooking from scratch is almost always healthier than buying processed foods from the store or a drive-thru. And you can make it fun and get the kids involved. For example, get your family in the kitchen to make homemade pizza together.

With just a little planning and prep work, you can make a home-cooked meal often. Lay out your food the night before or that morning. Put your Crockpot to work.

For more tips to improve your child’s nutrition, call (650) 321-7722 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Taymor and Dr. Rimawi in Palo Alto, CA.