Do you have a tuff time while feeding your kids? Showing them an imaginary bird and plane at one point and making small mountains out of the food at another time, the struggle is real. For kids, it is important to eat regular meals to ensure their body gets the energy it needs to perform and grow effectively

Healthy eating helps to prevent many chronic diseases. These include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. 

The ideal diet for kids includes whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or brown or wild rice. Limited refined grains such as white bread, pasta and rice. Fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt, cheese or fortified soy beverages.

While every parent faces the challenge of providing a nutritious meal to their children, here are a few ways to help you teach healthy eating habits to your little ones:

• Follow the same time every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Say a gratefulness prayer with them before eating
• Avoid forcing them to complete whatever’s on their plate
• Encourage them to make their own plate
• Educate them about where the food is coming from, who is growing it and how is it reaching their plate
• Cook with them
• Let them eat junk food occasionally and in moderation 
• Screens along with food is a big NO-NO
• Follow the eating habits that you’d like your kids to follow, they’ll automatically start following you.
• Consider their likes and dislikes
• Eat together as a family
• Watch the portion size
• Add vegetables to a beef stew
• Make baby trees out of broccoli florets or people out of veggie sticks. Different colours and shapes are fun for kids.
• Prepare colourful parathas with beetroot or other leafy vegetables
• Cook attractive smoothies or milkshakes
• Give healthy snacks like celery stick with peanut butter, unsalted popcorn, toast, pitta, chapatti fingers or small cubes of cheese

Finally, remember that every kid is different and so are its eating habits. These are just general and widely used tips, you can make a few tweaks to them according to you and your munchkin.