6 harmful eating habits for children

Many parents make the mistake of forcing their children to eat a lot, not eating a variety of foods, not maintaining a regular diet..., causing their children to become increasingly anorexic and slow to grow.

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Force feeding

According to Kidsme, most parents around the world want to force their children to eat a lot by physical or psychological means. In such cases, children often have a psychological resistance by eating less or not eating at all. Children can even be impressed with negative emotions such as shame (when parents praise other children for eating better), guilt (when parents blame them for wasting food) and fear (when scolded or punished).

Experts warn that children who are forced to eat are more likely to develop unhealthy eating habits. A survey by Professor Raj Raghunathan, University of Texas, Austin, found that nearly 100% of people who were forced to eat as children suffered mental trauma. More than 20 years have passed since the time of being forced to eat, but each person clearly remembers the uncomfortable, painful feeling. 55% of participants said they had symptoms such as stomach pain, while 20% said they vomited when forced to eat.

Children who are forced to eat are often "obsessed" every time they see food. Photo: Kidsme.

Don't eat a variety of foods

For comprehensive physical and mental development, the basic principle is to provide children with adequate nutrition. You need to make sure that your child's meals always balance food groups such as:

- Carbohydrates: Rice, oats, sweet potatoes...

- Protein: Meat, beans, eggs, fish...

- Fruits and vegetables: Mixed salad, fruit salad…

- Butter, milk: Cheese, yogurt...

Moms may not need to prepare each dish according to each food group, but combine them together, such as stewed carrots with meat, vegetable oatmeal porridge, yogurt salad... Note: For foods that can easily cause choking such as meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, you should put them in a silicone chewing bag for the baby to hold and chew. For thick liquid foods such as porridge, powder, you should use an anti-choking food squeezer.

Not being patient when feeding your baby

If your child doesn't like a food you've prepared, don't eliminate it from their diet completely. Research shows that it can take up to eight tries before a child will accept a new food. So when introducing new foods, be patient and "entice" them to taste a little at a time.

Parents should train their children to eat proactively from an early age. If they are afraid of choking, they can put food in a squeeze bottle or a silicone chewing bag for the baby to hold and suck on. Photo: Kidsme.

Not a role model

You can’t get your child to eat a variety of foods if you or someone else in your family is a picky eater. Don’t be afraid to include your child in family meals and show them how everyone else enjoys delicious food.

Fruit juice abuse

The most suitable drinks for young children are water and milk. Fruit juices can be very delicious and attractive, especially when mixed with sugar, but they are not really good for children and cannot replace the necessary portion of fresh fruit. On the other hand, the amount of sugar in fruit juice will make children feel full and eat less at the main meal. In this regard, experts advise giving children only a moderate amount of fruit juice each day and training them to eat fruits and vegetables instead of drinking juice.

Add sugar to food to attract children

Many parents tend to add sugar to food to "entice" their children. Experts warn that this habit is extremely harmful because it creates a habit of eating sweets in children. Absorbing a lot of sugar can easily lead to dangerous diseases such as obesity, diabetes, etc. Therefore, it is best to train children to eat frugally, regardless of the type of food.

According to vnexpress