Encouraging children to follow and enjoy a healthy diet can be challenging, especially when there’s so much exposure to junk food and drink commercials. Marketing experts are very good at drawing children to their products, in an attempt to place pressure on parents. Additionally, many foster children come from environments where healthy eating wasn’t a priority. Fortunately, it’s never too late to make positive changes, but you’ll need to put the work in. To help you out, we’ve gathered together a series of ways to subtly promote healthy dieting.
What Is a Healthy Diet?
Before diving in, let’s make sure you understand exactly what a healthy diet is. According to the NHS (National Health Service), a healthy diet includes the following:
- Maintaining a healthy body weight by eating the correct amount of food.
- Varying food types in proportions – this is the balanced diet part.
Knowing what a balanced diet is and implementing one are two very different things. Fortunately, as a foster carer, you’re always a phone call away from an agency, like thefca.co.uk, who will be on hand to offer support.
Cook a Range of Meals
Make sure you cook a range of different meals to keep food engaging. New foods are interesting, and your foster child is much more likely to interact. There are plenty of cookbooks out there designed for healthy eating, just take a look at the award-winning Pinch of Nom.
Provide Plenty of Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals, but they aren’t always the most exciting. Experiment with different types of products to find out what your foster child enjoys. When it comes to vegetables, there are different ways to cook and season them, so be adventurous in the kitchen and the right solution will come to you.
Switch Up Cooking Methods
Frying foods is simple, but it’s not always the healthiest – just think of all the collected grease. As an alternative, use the oven or grill, which will help to reduce unnecessary fat. Further, if you do need to fry foods, consider turning to light sprays instead of drippings and other solid fats.
Involve Foster Children in Cooking
If your foster child is at a suitable age, invite them into the kitchen to help with the cooking. Being actively involved will make the foods feel more fun and will encourage them to eat their hard work. Further, you can let them help with shopping lists, which will make them feel in control.
Low Sugar Drinks
Foods are what people think about when it comes to dieting but drinking healthily is important as well. As well as using low-sugar alternatives, having the correct amount of liquid is important. When it comes to children, you’re looking at four cups for under 3s, five cups for 4-8s, and 7-8 cups for older children.
Promoting healthy diets in foster children can be challenging, but it’s not unachievable. The key is to make mealtimes exciting and get them involved as much as possible.