Talk to kids through their medium of choice, partner with parents!

Building a positive relationship with food is important

A child brings about different changes in one's life. Post a baby we have become more careful about our food pattern. For the simple reason that children ape what they see. In my foodie house, good food is good mood. And when it comes to my little one who is 4 years of age, I want him to have a positive relationship with food. He is encouraged to try different cuisines but in a mindful manner. Food in my view is not classified as good or bad, but can vary on nutrition.

Focus on ‘naturalness’ of the meal

The freshness, the ingredients and the method of preparation are the key parameters that I check for any meal. The more the food is closest to its natural form, the higher is the nutritional content. Hence I prefer my child eating fruits or raw veggies than drinking a juice. The cooking method affects the nutrition and calorie, hence prefer usual pressure cooking, sautéed, baked/ stir-fried/ pan fried on a regular basis. Ready to eat meals are not taken due to the high preservative content.

In order to maintain a good balance in a meal for my child, I try to keep a mix of varied carbohydrates, proteins, and good fat. Regular weekday chart comprises of traditional Indian foods, with a few exceptions sometimes. Fruits, raw veggies, dry fruits, jaggery based sweets like seera are placed more as mid-meal options. For the in-between munches, I make roasted sweet potato sticks, roasted puffed rice, roasted fox nuts, peanuts, muffins, cookies. We try to include assorted flours like ragi, jowar, oats, rice and buckwheat in our regular food and even in baking items like cakes/ muffins.

Limit sugar-rich, junk food to only weekends

Like most kids, my son loves sweets and chocolates but we have tried to keep it a weekend affair only. Most of the sweets made at home are jaggery/date based. Different homemade dips/ sauces like mint dip, cashew mayo, hummus are made regularly to replace the preservative flavored sauces. Also various seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, flax, sesame are included in varied preparations right from vegetables to parathas to baking items.

Packaged foods are kept at a minimum either weekends or on vacations in a controlled portion. Even in packaged foods we prefer baked over fried, avoid too sweet or cream based confectioneries.

Explain the importance of healthy food, through a medium of their choice

Getting kids to make the right choice in foods is a task but can be made easier when explained with an interesting medium of their choice. In my case books and google voice search has been the winner! Also, kids tend to imitate their family members very quickly and hence a parent has to be what they wish for their child to follow. Another major influence is school and peer group. So if healthy eating habits are being encouraged at school, it makes it easier for the parent.

My little one's meltdowns are largely for chocolates and some salty snacks like peanuts or chips. Sometimes the only option I have is to give in with a bit of control on the portion.

In my view, no food is bad, just that the way its prepared makes all the difference. Preservatives, artificial colors, and flavoring affect one's health and hence I am not comfortable with regular consumption of many packaged foods. If we could have foods with minimum preservatives and more nutritive ingredients I would be more open to considering. For example, we are comfortable with my little one taking a Barakat juice occasionally over a tetra pack, as it has a shorter expiry date and a very natural taste, which indicates its low on preservatives.

Brands should help parents by encouraging healthy eating

Also if brands could talk beyond their product and encourage healthy eating and active lifestyle as a message, this would help create a positive connection with parents. It would be nice if brands could help parents create a fit and positive generation.

Real food contains real ingredients and real food 'really' goes bad!

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About SuperMom Nitiya:

Nitiya Sapru is a mother to an adorable 4 year old boy. An Indian, stays in the UAE. Her words on being a mother - "Motherhood has taught me unconditional love, patience , made me re-explore life with a new mantra - To be present 100 % in the existing moment."