Debunking myths about healthy eating

MANILA, Philippines – For most of us, the sight of healthy and happy kids never fails to brighten our day. Whether frolicking in the playground, participating in school activities, or eating their food with unmatched gusto, watching kids enjoying themselves conjures up feelings of contentment, happiness, and for parents, a sense of pride.

Indeed, it’s reassuring to be part of a world that’s home to the laughter and enthusiasm of fun-loving children. However, parents with kids who don’t seem to be as energetic as their young peers have a different story to tell. No doubt, the reasons why children seem to lack energy and that inner glow are countless. And most of it boils down to the food they eat.

When preparing food for kids and providing them nourishment, parents naturally want to get it right. But as a parent, what makes it tough is when you try to teach your picky eater to eat what you think is nutritious. Before you know it, mealtime is starting to look more like a food fight.

It pays to rethink your methods in ensuring your kids get all the nourishment they need. It’s important for moms and dads to be aware of what foods are truly healthy, and what foods are not. Unfortunately, most of the foods kids would rather eat are not that healthy, including foods high in fat and low in nutrients like junk food, candies, and sweets.

Attention, parents, here are some food myths and the facts:

• Myth: Nutritious meals are not fun to eat.

Fact: Forcing your kids to eat something they hate won’t do any good. Besides, ruling the dining table with an iron fist won’t teach your kids to love eating food that’s good for them. A great solution is to give kids what they like but change some of the ingredients or provide other options to make it healthier. Instead of giving your kid soda water to drink, make him a fruit shake instead.

What’s more, if parents think that nutritious meals are bland and not fun to eat, kids won’t enjoy them, too. There are many ways to make healthy food more fun for your children. A great way is by making their meals more colorful and giving them a nice array of colorful food, adding in green vegetables, yellow fruit, or white dairy products once in a while. To make it even more fun, you can arrange the food in fun and enticing ways your kids will surely delight in. 

• Myth: Nutritious meals are a hassle to prepare.

Fact: Parents might think that preparing a healthy meal takes too much time and effort. On the contrary, meals that offer most or all the nourishment a growing kid needs isn’t any more complicated than regular meals. In fact, healthy meals are even easier and simpler to prepare, just use healthy and whole food ingredients.

• Myth: Fast food = unhealthy.

Fact: There’s the common misconception among moms and dads that fast-food restaurants don’t offer meals that are good for their children. Allowing them to eat in these establishments doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re exposing them to only unhealthy food. While a lot of kids’ menus may offer foods high in cholesterol and low in fiber, there are some that offer nutritious and child-friendly food choices like chicken and pasta.