Grocery Shopping Helps Kids to Develop Healthy Eating Habits

Grocery shopping with kids can inculcate healthy eating habits in them, as they might develop interest in fruits and vegetables, researchers claim.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently started the ‘Fruits & Veggies-More Matters’ campaign, and insist that allowing children to become involved in the grocery shopping process was a creative and fun way to help them learn more about consuming a healthy diet and keeping them entertained.

Kristen Bardon of The University of Texas insisted on the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in kids.

“It is important for kids to start eating healthy early in life for many reasons. One reason is to help prevent the long-term consequences of a poor diet such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer,” he said.

One suggestion was to have a grocery store scavenger hunt with children, so that they discover new ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables, as well as help parents learn more about what appeals to them.

“Parents can have their children help with grocery lists. This teaches them how to pick out produce and helps them to prepare the meal,” Bardon said.

Some specific ways suggested by researchers to involve children while grocery shopping include:

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· Showing them a picture of a fruit or vegetable and let them find it in the store.
· Asking them to tell the shape, colour or size of the fruits and vegetables.
· Asking them to count the vegetables they see in the store.
· Encouraging them to find fruits and vegetables they have not tried before.

Source-ANI
SRM/J