Healthy eating can help children maintain a healthy weight, avoid certain health problems, stabilize their energy, and sharpen their minds.
Narrated Sa`d:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “He who eats seven ‘Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.”
When you want to maintain a healthy diet plan for your child, you must keep some essential points in mind.
Focus on overall diet rather than specific foods. Kids should be eating more whole, minimally processed food—food that is as close to its natural form as possible—and less packaged and processed food.
Be a role model. The childhood impulse to imitate is strong so don’t ask your child to eat vegetables while you gorge on potato chips.
Disguise the taste of healthier foods. Add vegetables to a beef stew, for example, or mash carrots up with mashed potato, or add a sweet dip to slices of apple.
Cook more meals at home. Restaurant and takeout meals have more added sugar and unhealthy fat so cooking at home can have a huge impact on your kids’ health. If you make large batches, cooking just a few times can be enough to feed your family for the whole week.
Get kids involved in shopping for groceries and preparing meals. You can teach them about different foods and how to read food labels.
Make healthy snacks available. Keep plenty of fruit, vegetables, and healthy beverages (water, milk, pure fruit juice) on hand so kids avoid unhealthy snacks like soda, chips, and cookies.
Narrated `Aisha:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to love sweet edible things and honey.
Limit portion sizes.
Narrated `Umar bin Abi Salama:
I was a boy under the care of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, ‘O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you.” Since then I have applied those instructions when eating.
Never force your children if they don’t want to eat something, teach them to respect food and if they don’t like they should leave that without telling people that it is not good or tasty.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) never criticized any food (he was invited to) but he used to eat if he liked the food, and leave it if he disliked it.
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