Inculcating good eating habits will go a long way in ensuring kids make better food choices as they grow older. — 123rf.com
IF YOU think that teaching healthy eating to children is difficult, think again. There are ways you can go about eating right and staying healthy. And one of the ways starts right on your plate.
The Malaysian Healthy Plate (MHP) which emphasises the suku-suku-separuh or quarter-quarter-half (QQH) food portion is a quick visual technique to help you immediately identify whether a meal is healthy and balanced, or otherwise.
This concept is a single-meal intake guide. All you have to do is “divide” your plate in the following manner:• ¼ plate of grains or grain products, preferably whole grains such as brown rice or wholemeal bread
• ¼ plate of fish, poultry, meat, or egg and
• ½ plate of fruits and vegetables
Remember to choose plain water as your beverage. It is a better thirst-quencher than sugar-sweetened beverages and contains zero calories.
Balance, Moderation, Variety
Do you know that MHP is consistent with the principles of a healthy diet and that it follows the key concepts of Balance, Moderation and Variety (BMV) and the Malaysian Food Pyramid?
• Balance means that a complete meal is made up of major food groups in the food pyramid so that one can obtain the required nutrients daily. They are rice, cereals and grains which are carbohydrates; fish, poultry meats, eggs and legumes as sources of protein and fruits and vegetables for vitamin and minerals.
• Moderation means sticking to the recommended portion for every meal in order to achieve the required servings of each food group in the food pyramid.
• Variety is about varying the major food groups in your child’s plate so that your child gets different “surprises” daily or even at each meal. More importantly, serving a variety of food ensures that your child obtains different nutrients that are needed for his or her body.
Cook better
Cooking methods can play a large role in determining how healthy a dish is. For example, deep-fried food contains more oil which is unhealthy. Choose to prepare food with healthier methods, as outlined below:
Parents should choose healthier cooking options like steaming. — 123rf.com
• Steaming
• Boiling
• Poaching
• Grilling
• Roasting/baking
• Stir-frying/sautéing
• Stewing/braising
Keep your child healthy
Teach your child about the QQH concept of MHP from young. Also, make sure he has his three regular healthy meals daily with one to two healthy snacks in-between meals. Most importantly, as parents, be his role model and practise these rules during every meal, whether at home or when eating out.
Dr Roseline Yap is a nutritionist and the honorary treasurer of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM). This story also appear on Positive Parenting, an education initiative by the Malaysian Paediatric Association. For more articles and expert advice, check out mypositiveparenting.org
