It’s that time of year again to make New Year’s resolutions! You might have a long list of goals for the next year and with renewed enthusiasm and determination, you are ready to work on them. But take another look at your list and see if any of your goals would benefit the environment in any way. Have you vowed to use less plastic this year? or a goal to teach your children about sustainability in their everyday lives? Read our blog post for ideas on sustainable resolutions.
If you haven’t already done so, you still have time to make a goal to save our planet. Consuming nutritious and organic food is another important responsibility. You may be a health-conscious individual who has already adopted an organic diet, but if you have children, you should consider getting them on the healthy eating plan as well.
If children start having healthy and sustainable eating habits early, they’ll carry them into adulthood, so it’s never too early to start!
Unsustainable and Unhealthy Eating Habits to Avoid
1. Avoid buying plastic containers and bottles with BPAs
Ensure every item you purchase is BPA-free. When chemicals in the plastic container transfer to the food it contains, this is called plastic leaching. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a hazardous chemical commonly used in making plastic goods. BPA has been linked to a variety of health problems, including childhood asthma, type 2 diabetes, infertility, and heart disease. Avoid using standard plastic bottles and instead use BPA-free bottles or reusable ones.
2. Avoid processed foods
We are becoming so busy that cooking nutritious dishes seems like too much of a time-consuming task. As a result, many parents turn to instant foods or UPFs (ultra-processed foods) for quick, tasty-looking meals. Plus, children may take a liking to their rich but unhealthy flavors.
Always check the ingredient list on instant or processed foods. If you don’t recognize an ingredient or think it is a lab-created substance, rethink purchasing them.
Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression are just a few of the problems associated with highly processed foods.
Yes, buying organic foods is an expensive choice and making them into meals takes time. However, when you consider the long-term implications of eating unhealthy meals on your children, you will realize buying organic foods is worthwhile.
3. Avoid fruits and vegetables with chemical fertilizers
Companies use harmful chemical fertilizers to mass-produce fruits and vegetables. There is still debate on how these dangerous chemicals damage our bodies in the long term. Still, it’s better to keep you and your growing kids safe by avoiding these chemicals.
Sustainable Eating Practices
Now that you know what to avoid, here are some tips for encouraging sustainable food habits in children:
1. Create and establish eating expectations/rules
Kids need an established routine as it teaches them discipline and prevents them from arguing with you when they know something is coming. For example, you can make it a rule that every Monday they must eat a vegetable salad with their meal and make it consistent that they do so. If you feel they’re becoming bored of it and if you’re going to modify anything, let them know ahead of time.
2. Be a role model
Your kids may sometimes not listen to you when you tell them to eat their vegetables, but if you eat a salad at the family dinner table, they will likely copy you.
3. Make eating fun
Children are drawn to anything fun. If you make their meals fun, they will be more likely to eat them without complaining or leaving some of the food. For example, you might make cute faces or shapes with food. You can even get your kids to help you with this. Here are some fun food ideas to get you started.
4. Involve them in cooking and gardening
Hands-on participation helps spark kids’ curiosity. They’ll like helping you in the kitchen, so let them mix ingredients and put the food on plates. They will enjoy eating what they’re helping create. If you have some plants or a home garden, let your kids water them or clean the area. It’s also a good way to teach them the joy of growing your own produce.
5. Meal prep on the weekends
Set aside a time to prepare and freeze a batch of meals for the week. This is ideal if you are a working parent or caregiver, or if you simply want to save a couple of hours each day. For example, you could designate Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. as meal prep time. This will be useful to you in the coming days as you’ll just need to reheat the food. You can freeze some cooked meals for a month; just make sure you use ingredients that will last a long time in the freezer.
6. Let them choose what they eat
You have probably heard it a thousand times: including children in the discussion improves their decision-making abilities. It is not only beneficial to their personal development, but it also makes them feel responsible. Let your kids plan some of their meals. You can also give them healthy options to choose from, such as soup or baked fish for dinner. They are much less likely to leave food at the dinner table if they have a say in what they’re eating.
7. Teach them about organic and healthy eating
If you grow your own food at home, you can use your garden as a classroom. But not everyone can have their own garden. In that case, how do you teach children about organic and healthy eating? The best way is to take them to grocery shopping and explain why you are buying certain products and ingredients over others. If kids understand what healthy eating is and why it’s good, they’ll be more likely to do it.
Sustainable and Healthy Eating for Future Generations
At Green Schools Green Future, we aim to educate children on how to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. Our children are our future, so we must teach them how to be responsible global citizens and equip them with the skills to lead green lives.
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