A parent can load up a backpack with fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods and give it to their teenage child to take with them when they go to school or elsewhere, but this does not mean that he or she will eat any of the food once they have left the house. In fact, teenagers are notorious for throwing away their disposable income on junk food and generally ignoring their parents’ nutritional advice. There are some things that parents can do to establish healthy habits with their children. The following tips were researched from Herbalife Nutrition’s blog on health and wellness.
Practice What You Preach
If parents tell their teenagers to eat right but don’t do so themselves, children are unlikely to listen. Teenagers are always very sensitive to hypocrisy, and they’ll smirk at the idea of eating an apple when they know that their mom or dad will be eating a candy bar.
Additionally, it’s important to have family mealtimes set so that children get into the habit of regularly eating wholesome foods. Shared family meals have the additional benefit of increasing togetherness. Just make sure that everyone has their cell phones turned off while eating so that you can interact with each other!
Responsible Fast Food Consumption
In today’s hectic world, eating fast food is sometimes inevitable. When you eat out at a fast-food restaurant with your teenager, make the right menu decisions for yourself. Teenagers want to fit in, and they will often conform to what those around them are doing, including even parents. A healthy choice can be as simple as ordering a chicken sandwich instead of a cheeseburger or getting a small fries instead of a jumbo fries. Drinking water instead of soda not only sets a good example but also saves money.
Give Them Wholesome Food for School
School lunches are sometimes nutritious, but often, this isn’t the case because the companies that provide food to schools are frequently just trying to sell teenagers the unhealthy foods that they crave. Therefore, it a good idea to send your teenager off to school with some healthy foods instead of cash to spend on junk food from vending machines.
While most teenagers are going to rebel at having to carry a lunch box, it doesn’t have to be that way! Apple slices, almonds and other healthy foods can be put into plastic bags and carried discreetly and enjoyed at odd times during the school day. As much as possible, work with your teenagers on this.
