10 Important Healthy Eating Habits For Students

In the current scenario, students often struggle to eat properly and most importantly healthy which is one of the major concerns. One of the Best Co-ed Boarding Schools in Dehradun suggests that good eating means good health but this is not just applied in a child’s young years. Eating properly in younger days can also bring individual good health in their older years. Parents often tend to get worried about whether their child is eating healthy or not. As a parent, one must give their child healthy food and opportunities to eat.

Also, it’s very much normal for children’s appetites to change from day to day. Sometimes a child might want to eat a lot. Parents must make sure that they fill their child up with healthy food. Other times the child might not want to eat. In this case, parents must not be worried, because they might make up for it at the next meal. If a child is not wanting to eat, try not to force them or offer food rewards. Forcing the child to eat teaches them not to listen to their appetite. If a child is growing and developing well, it means that he/she is probably getting enough to eat.

With this article, let’s have a look at the top 10 important healthy eating habits Healthy Eating Habits that children must inculcate.

1. Introduce fruits and vegetables in your diet:

This is one of the most important healthy eating recommendations that students must follow. Kids who tend to eat fruits and veggies at every meal fill up on high-fibre, high-nutrient foods in the right portions. Eating more colourful fruits will vary a child’s diet and the body will take in more vitamins and minerals.

2. Reduce added sugars:

On average, a child gets 16% of their total calories from added sugars, which is a massive 10 teaspoons per day! Added sugar is known to be connected with childhood obesity, chronic diseases, behaviour problems, and many more diseases. In order to inculcate healthy eating habits, parents must keep a check on their child’s sugar level. Children can hop onto snacks and food items which have natural sugar in it.

3. Add a variety of protein to your diet:

Protein is very significant to children’s growing brains and bodies and therefore having variety in the same matters a lot. Dairy products, pulses, Seafood, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds are all good protein sources that should be included in a child’s diet. One of the Best Boarding School in hostel facility makes sure to engage students in healthy eating.

4. Practice good oral hygiene:

Children must be taught to brush their teeth at least twice a day from a very young age, This will help in preventing cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. Keeping one’s mouth healthy and hygienic also includes eating less sugary foods, especially choosing water over tea or coffee.

5. Prefer whole grains:

Including whole grains like whole wheat, brown rice and oatmeal deliver fibre and B-vitamins in addition to an energy boost. Therefore, this should be included in a child’s diet for a healthy lifestyle

6. Chew your food well:

One of the easiest and most common ways to digest your food is to chew it well. Most people often eat their food in a hurry and skip chewing their food properly. While what one eats in due course gets digested, a hardly chewed bite takes more time and wears out one’s digestive system. Besides, the more a child chews their food, the easier it becomes for their stomach to digest it and the more calories they can burn by moving their jaw.  Small steps like learning to chew in the right way can go a long way in forming a healthy food habit in students.

7. Never skip your breakfast:

Inculcating a routine of regular mealtimes in childhood can help make it more likely that a child will continue this good habit when they’re older. Children at the Best Co-ed Boarding Schools in Dehradun have a healthy breakfast which helps in kick-starting their brain and energy, helps in keeping them strong, and keeps their chronic diseases at bay.  The high fibre in breakfast cereals can also help in reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

8. Limit on highly processed food items:

Many healthy foods like whole-grain bread and peanut butter are processed. One is not required to avoid such food items but should try to limit them as far as possible. Processed foods that include artificial dyes, preservatives, refined fats and flours, and added sugars are bad.

9. Drink lots and lots of water:

Children should not have a habit of having sweetened drinks. Sweet beverages cause many health problems, including childhood obesity.  These beverages also replace foods that have nutrients and fibre, which children require to grow. Thus, it’s recommended to stick to the good stuff which is water.

10. Control the portion size:

One of the most sensible ways to lose weight and be healthier is to cut one of the portions in half. Whatever a child is eating should be half when it comes to quantity.  For instance, instead of 2 chapatis, one can eat just one. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to improve the quality of meals as well but if a child can’t do it right away, start with small meals as done by the Best Boarding School in hostel facility.