What does having healthy children really mean to you? What can we do to maintain healthy eating habits for our child? I strongly believe that we all have different values regarding “being healthy” or maintaining “healthy eating habits”. I believe that the Japanese children’s diet is a very healthy one, and we can consider them as one of the healthiest groups of children in modern society. Therefore, I’d like to introduce some tips on how I believe we can help our children to live a long, healthy life.
PS. For me, it’s still OK for you to like junk food, and I DO LOVE IT!
Eating together and being a role model
Children are always curious about what their friends and teachers are eating. Seeing adults eating vegetables can sometimes make them want to try it, even though they have never tried it before. You don’t have to tell them many times, “You have to eat” or “You have to try it.” What I would like to suggest is that we sit together and eat healthy food. Don’t forget to have a nice chat with your child! I still remember that when I was in elementary and junior high school, my teachers would come to sit with us, and we would eat lunch together. Having a chat with the teachers made us feel something special. I really enjoyed those moments.
Encourage your child to try food.
I strongly feel that there is a strong correlation between the adult teaching a child about food and the child’s relationship with food later. The rules that we learn about food at an early age are the key to having healthy eating habits. As I mentioned earlier, encourage them to try new food. Trying new food leads them to try again, and again. This action may help them like the food, and possibly, the latest food they tried may become their favorite. It’s ok if they say, “I don’t like it.” “It’s yucky!” Continue to encourage them to try little by little. We always say to children, ‘Did you try it?’ Let’s taste a tiny little bit, and if you don’t like it, you can leave it.
Cook with your child and eat it at home.
Children love to help us! I love doing cooking activities with them. I just did a wonderful cooking activity with them in class recently. We had a discussion about the foods we liked and the foods we disliked. Some children said, “I don’t like broccoli,” or “I don’t like onions,” and a whole lot of other vegetables. We took all those things that they disliked and made a pasta dish out of them. When it was time to try what they had cooked, they were surprised to find out that it was very yummy! It’s always worth it to give it a try! Especially if it is in disguise!
Most Japanese families tend to eat at home. I still remember how much I enjoyed cooking with my mother when I was little. So, I really recommend that parents let their child help cook with them and eat at home as much as possible. You can even ask them for help when packing their lunch. This can motivate them to enjoy their lunch, even with the new food or something they perhaps don’t really like.
Don’t be afraid to take authority.
When I was in elementary and junior high school, I had to finish all of my lunch. We couldn’t leave the table until we had finished our lunch completely. One of the reasons for this was showing respect for food and the people who prepared it for us. Our teachers also mentioned that there are children who don’t have food, so we should appreciate what we have. I sometimes had a hard time finishing everything. I didn’t like milk and some vegetables. Then my teachers said, “You have to finish,” and so I had to finish it. It was not easy, but I actually really appreciate what they did for us. Constantly finishing my food in my childhood has become a habit of mine now. It also makes sense for me to show appreciation to the people who cook for me. Even though my mother always asked me to finish everything, she also said, ‘If you don’t want to eat, that’s fine, but there won’t be any other food for you if you’re still hungry.’ You don’t have to be that strict with your child. However, I would say that you can ask and tell them to try, as it is best to finish their food. One of our classes has the 100% rule, which provides strong motivation, and children love to push themselves to say, ‘I had 100%.’
Eating healthy food helps avoid health problems
Even though we all know this, I’d still like to mention this last little tip. If we compare Western countries to Japan, I believe that we eat more fruits, vegetables, and beans, and less fat and sugar. We do use a lot more salt in our food than Western people, but I still believe that we do eat healthy food. Eating healthy food helps prevent obesity and serious health problems. I believe that Japanese children’s obesity levels are much lower than those in other countries.
I strongly feel that having a good balance is also important for your child. As I mentioned before, it’s ok to eat food they already like. Just don’t forget to encourage them and make some opportunities for them to try new food and/or what they think they don’t like now. I hope these tips can help your child’s eating habits!
Written by:
Sayaka Michigoe (Petals Class)
Reference:
Naomi Moriyama, Mar. 8, 2019. Here’s Why Japanese Children Are the Healthiest in the World. https://www.thehealthy.com/family/childrens-health/why-japanese-children-are-the-healthiest/. Accessed November 15, 2019
Photo by cukidz.com
