Easter treats
Sugar-filled holidays like the Easter and Halloween can be a challenge if you are a parent who is keen to encourage healthy eating habits in your children. Here are some tips to help you manage the amount of sugar your children consume – in general and during these holidays in particular:
- Set limits: It’s important to set limits on how many sugary treats your child can have. You can set a specific number of treats per day or per week. This will help your child learn self-control and to make healthier choices.
- Avoid overindulging: It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holidays and overindulge in sweets, cakes, and fizzy drinks. Try to limit the amount of sugary treats that you bring into your home and encourage your children to share their Easter eggs with others. You can also provide healthier snacks, such as fresh fruit or nuts and seeds, to balance out the sugary snacks.
- Use non-food rewards: Instead of rewarding your child with sugary treats, why not use non-food treats like stickers, toys, or special outings. This will help your child associate rewards with positive experiences, rather than just with sugary goodies.
- Plan ahead: If you know that your child will be receiving lots of chocolate and sweets during a holiday, plan ahead by keeping them well fed with set meals and healthy snacks. This will help them feel full and satisfied, and reduce their desire for those highly processed snacks.
- Encourage physical activity: Physical activity can help to balance the effects of sugar on the body. Encourage your child to engage in activities and exercise, such as playing outside, riding bikes, kicking balls or go together for a family walk. This will help burn off some of the excess sugar and keep your child healthy.
- Be an example: Children learn from their parents, so it’s important to set a good example. If you have a healthy relationship with food and practice moderation, your child is more likely to do the same. At the same time, don’t encourage your kids to think of sugary treats as “bad” or “forbidden”. This might create an unhealthy relationship with food.
- Educate your child: Teach your child about the effects of sugar on the body, and how it can lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Help them understand the importance of moderation and balance, and encourage them to make healthy choices.
- Prepare healthy treats. Instead of relying solely on buying sweet treats from the shops, how about introducing a fun activity where you make treats together? Peanut butter cookies, fruit-filled popsicles, chocolate-dipped fruit or pretzels are just some of the many treats you could make with your child. It might mean they have more fun preparing the treats than eating them!
