19/03/2025 - Nutrition Article
Tips for parents and educators - Father's Day celebration 2025
Article by Joana Resende, Nutritionist of the UPFit Program.
Children learn by imitation, so it is important to teach by example. As educators and role models, be persistent and provide your children with a healthy diet and lifestyle! But what strategies can you adopt?
Happy Father's Day!
Suggestions:
- Eat meals at set times and enjoy foods that vary in color, texture and flavor.
- Include children in preparing and cooking meals.
- Be creative when presenting your dishes, use and abuse the colors of the food. Remember that the eyes also eat and give your dishes appealing names (e.g.: happy rice).
- Make mealtimes a fun, relaxing and family-friendly time.
- Respect your child’s satiety and don’t turn mealtimes into a “war” with your children.
- Get your child used to eating soup at the beginning of lunch and dinner. But be careful, parents have to eat it and set an example. Try adopting “marketing” techniques: instead of spinach soup, it’s much better to eat “Popeye soup”.
- Be persistent! Don't give up at the first sign of rejection. If your child is taught to try the same food several times, he or she may end up liking it.
- When your child refuses a food or its food equivalents, try to camouflage them or give them in other culinary preparations that they like (e.g.: pasta, pie).
- Do not use food as a reward or punishment, there should be no “eat this and I’ll give you that”.
- Invite a friend over for lunch or dinner. If they are a positive role model, parents may want to use their influence.
