Fast foods are meals that are served on demand and made available in a short amount of time. This includes franchised Western-type fast foods as well as local hawker foods.
With so many fast food outlets out there, coupled with your busy schedule, it may be hard for you to completely avoid feeding your child fast food. The main problem starts when your child gets more than his fair share of fast food. Excessive consumption of fast food is often associated with obesity as well as malnutrition.
Nutritious home cooked food is the best choice for young children. However, as much as you’d like to, you cannot cut fast food completely out of your child’s life. Try to set sensible healthy guidelines when eating fast food.
Educate Your Child. Never say ‘no’ to your child and ban fast foods from your child’s life. Banning fast food will only make your child crave it even more, causing him to sneak food behind your back. Instead, teach your child that he needs to enjoy a wide variety of food and practice healthy eating.
Set A Limit. If you really must have fast food, make sure you set a limit on the food portions served. Your child tends to overeat when he is offered large quantities of food. So buy according to the portions that are suitable for your child’s age. Also, limit the frequency of eating fast food to once or twice a month.
Order Smart. When visiting a fast food restaurant, adopt some ordering and eating strategies. Check the nutritional content of each item before ordering. Opt for healthier options such as foods with less fat, salt or sugar, and with fresh ingredients. Consider a balanced and varied diet when ordering each meal.
De-emphasise Fast Food. Don’t make going out for fast food a big deal, especially if your child is a picky eater. Otherwise, your child will equate eating fast food with fun. Don’t use fast food as a reward either. There are other things, such as a trip to the local park or playing badminton, which you can offer as reward, instead of a trip to a fast food restaurant.
Eat In More Often. Try to make time to prepare home-cooked meals for your child. There are so many delicious and healthy meals that you can prepare without too much effort. Get your child involved in preparing the meals to make it more fun for him to eat at home.
Set An Example. Children often look up to parents as examples. So if you are eating a king-size meal, your words will not count much when you try to refrain your child from eating too much fast food. In addition to that, try eating with your child at home more often.
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