Is your child eating a healthy diet - how do you know?

Do we know what is really a healthy diet?  According to a recent study, 81% parents thought their child was having a healthy diet when in fact they were not.  It seems that parents assessed their child's diet by looking at the three main meals they ate a day.  If the meals were balanced, then the parents rated the child's diet as healthy.

This is part of a healthy diet for kids but you also have to look at:

• the amount of food eating (portion control)
• the snacks eating before and after meals (how many, what are they eating)
• processed foods versus natural ingredients
• junk food intake

These other variables can take a healthy balanced meal into a very unhealthy overall diet.

I have a little challenge for you-

I am going to recommend that you do a little family activity for 3 days.  And that is to help your child use a food journal and write down everything he/she eats.  Include the bits of this and nibbles of that.  Keep it light and fun for the kids so it doesn't seem like a chore.  Maybe even a contest, who can complete and post their journal first each night.  Heck, the whole family could do it.

• Then you can use a meal planner and see what your child should be eating compared to what they are actually eating.  Look at the types of food they are eating.
• You will see where some family eating habit changes need to be made
• Next, pick one or two eating habits that you and your child are going to work on.

Little by little, you can change your family's eating habit and it won't feel so drastic.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to make one or two changes!  All adding up to a healthy child and healthier family.

We have some tools to help you get started:

Setting healthy goals with children

Goals and Food Journals - free, cute printables for kids