Answer
In this counseling answer:
โขChildren may see ads on TV or in the supermarket, but parents still have control over what they are eating for a long time. Use this control to purchase the best foods for them and provide them with only healthy choices at home. If you donโt buy it and have it around, they wonโt eat it.
โขIf they find it difficult to shop without asking for treats, then leave them at home with a babysitter, sibling, father or relative while you shop.
โขIf they watch TV, have them watch videos rather than cable to reduce their exposure to commercials.
Salam Dear Sister,
Thank you so much for asking this question as I believe many parents have the same worry nowadays with the advertising industry growing at exponential speed, especially for junk foods. Hope you benefit from the advice below.
Develop Their Sense of Taste
Children, when exposed to many healthy nutritious foods more often than unhealthy ones, will develop a better sense of taste. This sense of taste will allow them to distinguish the difference between โreal foodโ and โfake foodโ.
Make sure that children learn how โreal foodโ tastes from a young age.
โขBaby food should be processed by hand or smashed up from freshly cooked homemade foods and not fed to children from jars or cans.
โขToddler snacks should consist of foods like sliced apples, grapes, bits of quality cheeses and fresh breads, and not packaged nutrition bars, snack crackers or cereals.
Check out this counseling video:
โขAs children grow older and want to try things like hamburgers, ice cream, chocolates, sweets and potato chips, introduce them to the homemade โhealthierโ versions first.
A child who is raised on mostly healthy and whole foods will naturally migrate back to those foods and will prefer them.
You will notice a child, who has been raised this way, will not even want a hamburger from a fast food place. They will taste it and say โYuck, this doesnโt taste like a hamburger.โ
How to Avoid Junk Food Ads
โขChildren may see ads on TV or in the supermarket, but parents still have control over what they are eating for a long time. Use this control to purchase the best foods for them and provide them with only healthy choices at home. If you donโt buy it and have it around, they wonโt eat it.
โขIf they find it difficult to shop without asking for treats, then leave them at home with a babysitter, sibling, father or relative while you shop.
โขIf they watch TV, have them watch videos rather than cable to reduce their exposure to commercials.
Salam,
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