When Kids Help Cook, Healthy Family Meals Are Easier
Want to help your kids develop healthy eating habits for life? Include them in meal planning, shopping and cooking. It’s a great way to teach new skills and make eating healthier food routine. And you’ll have an extra pair of hands helping at mealtime, too!
让孩子对烹饪感兴趣.
Seeing other kids cook can provide inspiration. Try watching one of the popular kids’ cooking shows on television or YouTube, where kids are doing everything from helping an adult chef to creating complex dishes and meals on their own. Look at cooking magazines and websites together. Find cookbooks for kids at your library or bookstore for age-appropriate cooking projects and more inspiration.
让孩子们计划菜单.
Letting kids help plan and prepare meals can get them familiar with different ingredients and make them more interested in trying new foods.
Empower your kids to plan the family menu for at least one meal each week. Set some rules so they’re focusing on healthy stuff. And don’t forget to talk about healthy portion sizes. This is also a great chance to help kids learn the basics of why each food group is important.
- Milk and dairy products help build strong bones.
- Lean meats, fish, beans and nuts provide protein, which gives us energy.
- Fruit and vegetables contain essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Build a “rainbow” of colors into your meals to maximize variety.
- Whole-grain foods can provide the fiber our bodies need to function.
带孩子们去杂货店.
Having your kids go with you to the grocery store helps them learn about the variety of foods available, see how meals are made from the different food groups and begin to understand a budget. It’s also a great time to talk about what makes some foods healthier than others.
Encourage kids to try new things by letting them select a fruit or vegetable they’ve never had and find a recipe to use it. (You might just expand the whole family’s taste buds!)
Have kids learn how to navigate the store by finding items on a shopping list. 挑战大一点的孩子 阅读营养标签 为了确定更健康的选择:
- 注意 添加糖, which add calories but don’t help you maintain energy throughout the day. 常见的罪魁祸首包括含糖饮料, canned fruit (avoid ones packed in heavy syrup), 谷物和调味酸奶.
- 注意罐头和其他食品中的钠含量 加工食品,寻找低盐的食物.
- 选择用 全谷物 而不是 of refined grains like white flour or white rice.
- 选择饱和脂肪含量低的食物. 选择 healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats 而不是.
对挑食的人有耐心吗.
面对别人对你做的饭菜的抵制? Take a deep breath and remember that kids (and adults) may need to try things up to a dozen times, 在不同的形式和情况下, 在决定他们是否喜欢之前.
这里有一些介绍新食物的建议:
- Offer new foods at the start of a meal or at snack time, when kids are most hungry. Always ask them to try one bite and keep an open mind. 随着沙巴足球体育平台的推移,他们可能会发现新的最爱.
- 如果阻力强, try again in a few days rather than gearing up for a showdown that may turn them off to trying new foods.
- 作为家庭健康饮食的典范. 为每个人提供同样的食物, rather than catering to pickier individuals like a short-order cook. Introduce one new food at a time, and make sure each meal includes something the whole family likes.
在厨房里要注意安全.
烹饪 with kids takes planning and supervision to ensure that no one gets hurt. Keep a step stool or tall chair nearby so kids can observe and help safely. 确定适合年龄的任务. Younger kids can help gather ingredients from the pantry or refrigerator, 清洗水果和蔬菜, 然后倒入并搅拌配料. 大一点的孩子可以量食材, 切碎水果和蔬菜, and learn how to use the stove and oven safely.
把你的 孩子们进厨房 with you will help teach them lifelong skills and habits to keep them healthy for good!