HealthcareWhy Healthy Eating Is So Important for Young Children

Healthy eating is one of those things that we all know is important. But when we’re parents it can feel like one of the many things we need to do perfectly. First thing’s first, healthy eating is not about getting it right 100% of the time.

Promoting a healthy mindset to eating can be just as important as what we actually feed our children.

That said, there are lots of reasons why healthy eating is incredibly important for young children. We’ve chosen just five of our top reasons why it is so important to feed your child a healthy and balanced diet.

Healthy Habits

The habits you model for your children will likely stay with them for life. This can feel like a lot of pressure but it’s important to remember that the behaviours and attitude we express can affect our children throughout their lives. Just like with adults, where avoiding stress like financial pressures is important to keeping healthy, so too with children, similar logic applies.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet the majority of the time will likely mean your child will grow up seeing this as the norm.

On the other hand, if you have a habit of getting takeaway food every other night this is likely something your child will take into their later life. Much like we have all got used to covid testing (source: Tests2Go) or wearing a seatbelt, instilling good habits in children is key. Wherever possible model healthy eating for your child so that they can take this habit into their adult life.

Child Brain Development

As a child, and even into our early 20s, our brain is going through massive development. It is incredibly important that you are feeding your child a healthy and balanced diet that contains all the minerals and vitamins that they need for healthy development.

If your child is not getting the nutrients they need, it is possible that they will develop deficiencies and that it couldn’t even affect their development. A good rule of thumb for those who are not nutrient savvy, is to try and eat the rainbow. Chances are if we are eating a diet that contains fruits and vegetables with all the colours of the rainbow, we will be getting a balance of the nutrients we need.

There are numerous external influencers too when it comes to child brain development. For example, looking after a dog has proven mental health benefits (source: Wuffes.com), whereas excessive screen time has been shown to be detrimental to child brain development.

Feeling Their Best

If your child is eating a diet that is heavy in sugars and processed foods, they are unlikely to feel their best. Temper tantrums and poor sleep can be affected by our diets.

If your child is getting a lot of sugar in their diet it’s likely that they will also be experiencing crashes in energy as their sugar levels suddenly plummet. To help your child feel happy and stable feed them a healthy balanced diet

Energy To Play

Play is a huge part of a child’s development, both physically, mentally and socially. The best way to ensure that they can do that is by giving them a healthy balanced diet to provide them with the long-lasting energy they will need.

A breakfast like porridge or wholemeal toast contains lots of slow burning carbohydrates which will mean your child has energy to play all day. In comparison, a breakfast of sugary processed cereal will cause your child to have a sugar crash before lunchtime.

Growing Big and Strong

During childhood our bodies go through huge physical development. A child’s body is having to constantly rebuild and grow, this requires a lot of energy but it also requires the correct nutrients.

As we grow our bodies require a lot of energy to create new cells and build muscle. Providing your child with a healthy balanced diet rich in nutrients and healthy proteins will allow their bodies to grow and develop as they are supposed to.

This post has been sponsored by Tudor Lodge Consultants