Healthy Holiday Habits for You and Your Child
With warmer temperatures, longer days and school winding down, the Summer holidays are a time to take a break from the grind. Whilst we relax and enjoy the extra festive celebrations and parties with our kids, healthy family habits often take a vacation too. So to keep your kids healthy over the Summer holidays, here are a few tips we put together by our team for our partners at Young Academics.
Stick to a regular eating routine
Without the structure of school or daycare, eating schedules easily slip. However, prioritising a regular eating routine is important for kids. Not only does this support adequate fuel and nutrient intake for the day, it also provides your child with a sense of security, builds trust that food is consistently available and regulates their appetites. Most children need three main meals and enough snacks in between so that there is something to eat around every two to three hours.
Have healthy snacks on hand
Mid meal snacks are a great opportunity to help children meet their nutrient requirements for healthy growth and development. Before reaching for packaged snacks which are often laden with added sugars, salt and unhealthy fats, stock up on a few healthy options. Easy ideas include:
Plain yoghurt and fruit
Homemade smoothies with milk, fruit and yoghurt
Hard-boiled eggs
Plain popped corn
Cheese and grainy crackers
Whole grain toast with ricotta and your child’s favourite fruit or raw vegetable like cucumber
Veggie sticks with hummus, tzatziki or avocado
Dinner leftovers, such as meatballs, pasta or fried rice with veggies
Get kids in the kitchen
Keep your child busy by involving them in the kitchen over the holiday break. Depending on their age, your child can help choose a recipe, pick ingredients from the supermarket, read recipes out loud, stir, weigh and grate ingredients or set the table. Allowing your child to explore food in ways other than eating helps create curiosity and openness to eventually trying new foods. The added bonus is that you get an extra helping hand!
Keep up the vegetables
As our calendars fill up, schedules get busy and festive foods fill the supermarkets, vegetables are the last thing on our minds. Unfortunately, this doesn’t do good for your child’s (or your own) health. Keep vegetables top of mind this holidays with these low effort ideas:
Grate leftover carrots, zucchini and celery into family favourite dinners
Keep bags of frozen vegetables in the freezer for a quick addition to stir-fries, fried rice, pasta or even omelettes
Pick up a pre-chopped salad kit to easily add to the dinner table
Blend baby spinach into smoothies or dips
When eating out, order an extra side of vegetables or salad to share
Remember, the Summer holidays are meant to be enjoyed and deviation from your regular routine is normal. But with a few of these tips, keeping some consistency with healthy eating is possible for the whole family.