When my child started to eat solid foods, I did my best to give him proper nutrition. I introduce him to eat various nutritious foods such as egg, rice, beef, fruits, vegetables, and other indigenous foods. Even though he is eating all kinds of food he is not fat. I am not worried because he is eating nutritious foods not until he reached the age of four. Before he turned four, I did several ways for his weight gain and I am glad that it helps. Now I am facing another challenge and that is to feed him with healthy foods over the unhealthy foods. This is what you called the “Diet Shift” phase.
Diet Shift Phase in children
The “Diet Shift” phase is a phase that every child between four to seven years old goes through, when he develops a preference for unhealthy food and therefore, becomes at-risk of important nutrients he needs for proper growth and development. This is the phase when I noticed that my child began to be choosy with the foods that we offer to him. Before he would ask for green apple and orange but now he would ask for potato chips and some junk foods that he saw on T.V. commercials or advertisements. When eating meat, he prefers to eat Fried Chicken and Fried fish but not the meat in soupy vegetables.
Because of these unhealthy eating habits, I find different ways to overcome the “Diet Shift” Phase. As a mom it is very important that we do the first moves for our children to be healthy. What I did is to experiment using different ways then I gather what truly works for him. Let me share my experience with how I battle the challenge in feeding my child with healthy foods over unhealthy foods.
Filipino boy on Diet Shift phase
Tips to Overcome “Diet Shift” Phase in Children
- Set eating habits. I tell my child that we need to eat on time with healthy foods to nourish our body to be strong and be energized in studying, playing, singing, dancing, etc.
- Make meals exciting and surprising. Even you are preparing a regular meal; add something to make it special or extraordinary. For example if the meal has vegetables, put an art to the slice and cuts of the veggies. Tell him real story about popular people who eats nutritious foods in your meal like Manny Pacquio. He eats rice with Malunggay that is why he a strong puncher and a great boxer.
- Show a picture of malnourished children and healthy children then tell the truth about the difference. First, I ask him who looks good in the picture then he will point to the healthy children. I explained to my child that if he did not eat nutritious food he will look like a malnourished child who cannot move actively to play and cries because of stomached. Eating nutritious foods will make him feel good and happy.
- Set a snack time and prepare a healthy drink. Since I am drinking Malunggay tea with my four-year old son, we call it a tea time at around 3PM. He loves the taste of the Malunggay tea that I prepare. I added two tablespoon of sugar and two calamansi in three cups of water with Malunggay tea. We eat biscuits or bread while drinking the tea.
- Let your child help you in preparing meals or drinks. Children are curious on how we prepare meals. Letting them know the basics of how we prepare meals by making them little helpers. It will encourage them to value the food by eating what you have prepared.
- Tell him the good effects of eating nutritious foods.
- Eat together and show your child that you are eating nutritious foods too.
- Prepare fruit juice or shakes and show them how you make it. They are delighted with the preparation of fruit juice or shakes.
- Offer the child a glass of milk two times a day. This will surely help to supplement a growing child’s nutrition.
- For children fond of playing gadget like tab; install an App about cooking, baking, and preparing foods. It will encourage him to eat healthy foods like baked foods such as cookies, cupcakes and other meals.
When we battle the “Diet Shift” phase, children will grow up strong and healthy. There is a great potential for healthy children to be achievers. We worry less if our children are healthy. Our family can save big budget because they are not prone to sickness. Conclusively, a healthy child makes a happy family.
How about you? Please share with us how you battle “Diet Shift” phase in your children?
So that’s what it’s called: “diet shift phase.” Thanks for that info! My son still drinks milk every day; his pediatrician highly recommends that. We also make sure he doesn’t skip a meal or substitute junk food for a decent meal.
I agree that it is highly recommended for children at this “Diet Shift” phase to drink milk to help them supplement with proper nutrition.
It’s nice to develop good habits why they are young. They’ll grow up with better food preferences.
Absolutely good for children so they can be discipline as well with proper food and nutrition.
It’s also good that your kid loves malunggay tea as that’s really healthy.
Yes Malunggay tea is very healthy and very beneficial in my milk production since I am also breastfeeding my baby and my 4 year old son also love to drink what I drink.
The health apps in gadgets should also orient them on proper nutrition.
I can relate to this post- I remember my baby girl during this phase. Milk helps a lot.
So true. It is very challenging to keep the child fully nourish and milk work wonders to aid them with proper nutrition.
My kids still drink milk up to now. I have a son who has a sweet tooth I’m most worried about. We are trying to curb that while young. I’m rather worried about the 2 TABLEspoons of sugar you put in your malunggay tea! Too sweet for me. 🙂
Hi Fred,
Good to know that your kids are still drinking milk like my son. Oh! The two tablespoons of sugar in three cups of water with Malunggay tea is not sweet you might have over-read that :).
Oh wow! That malunggay tea could have been awful and somewhat urine-like as far as the taste goes without your fantastic suggestion of calamansi and sugar.
Thanks Cristina, I believe most children will love the taste of the Malunggay tea with Calamansi.
I agree with your post, my nephew still drink milk today.
Milk helps a lot to make children achieved proper nutrition enough in the development stage of mind and body.
This is really helpful, kids really have sweet tooth and now I know why they love junk foods. 🙂
Most kids have sweet tooth and as parents, we should show them to be a good example that we ate healthy foods over unhealthy foods so they can imitate and follow us.
so helping child eating nutritious food is all about mind setting , using third party(like Manny Pacquiao), and imagining their image if they did not eat something nutritious. hahaha! Oh, Jelvin!
Hi Jam,
I have to do all the best for Jelvin because in this stage he became so choosy so I have to do some tricks and mind setting.
You really love your kids. Over feeding them is like slowly killing…Im sorry for the pick of words. I remember a young woman who stood up in a crowd and confessed that she somehow blamed her mom or dad for what she is now because of food.
Go natural or just nutritious food.
Just what I have mentioned, I go with nutritious foods over unhealthy foods. I never force my child to eat if he did not want that is why I have to do some encouraging ways.
We started giving vege (in moderation) to our now 6 year old kid, believe it or not she loves steamed ampalaya leaves, seaweeds, okra, malunggay strings (she called it lollipop), stringbeans (adobo version). But that depends on the mood, if kids has the right appetite and is really hungry, they have no choice but to eat what is being served right on the table. We don’t try to give junk foods before the main meal and she herself avoids soda and too much sweets, she knows the effects once she once she had excess intake. Too much sweets, she tend s to get sick, right then she know the importance of eating healthy foods.
Hi Daryll,
Thanks for sharing your experience. My aunt also told me that if kids are really hungry they have no choice but to eat what is available so we do not offer them other unhealthy foods in this stage before eating time.
These are wonderful and super helpful tips! I don’t have children of my own yet but I’m a brand new aunt so gotta share this to my brother and sister-in-law! 🙂
Thank you. I hope it would really help them with these tips.
I guess my parents are lucky as they did not have much problems in giving us a “diet shift.” Why? This is because we were fed only vegetables and fruits throughout our life. No candies, no junk food and no unhealthy food for consumption including soft drinks, coffee and artificial fruit juices. 😀
SO true Rochkirstin. We are the same my parents raised me that way. I think my battle with this Diet-Shift is with the advertisements that my son saw on TV and when his tita offers her candy goodies.
this is really hard part of the parent. well, there are still ways to overcome it. like this article. . . .
I agree. This is one of the hard part because health if always the concern in growing children.
I am also dealing with the same thing with Ykaie but I guess every child goes through this phase. I just do the best I can and give her nutritious but delicious food.
I believe that you are serving her nutritious but delicious food – your food blog has proven it.
This is the first time that I encounter the “diet shift” I have six children and my wife didn’t mention this to me. What I know when our children miss their meals when they are in the age between 4 to 7 years old. Now I know and I could apply this to my grandchildren. I know then on what to suggest to their parents. Thanks!
Hi Sir Gil,
Thank you. I hope it will help them with this post about Diet-shift.
Good thing my nieces fear me, they eat vegies because I told them to do so. Kidding aside, I am a vegies & fish type of a person, so I just tell them to try and taste it , if they don’t like it then don’t eat but they cannot asked the yaya to cook another viand, little by little they begun to like eating fish then the “sabaw” of the vegies on the rice. This days we don’t have a hard time feeding them good and nutritious food, they already liked it.
These are good tips, I’m sharing these to my officemates with little ones =)
I like what you have mentioned here that if they do not eat they cannot asked for another viand. I use that way too with my little boy. I think we just need to be firm with how we feed them.
my daughter not on diet haha though we balance everything and make sure she and all of us have side veggies or hving veggies every meals xx
It is very important to have veggies every meal.
It’s a bit difficult to have a sudden shift on diet of children.
Why not start a healthy diet right from the very young age?
You are very right to start a healthy diet from the very young age because they will be trained as well. I think the Diet-shift phase is almost experience by majority of parents when their kids are suddenly expose to unhealthy foods (junk food, etc.)
If ever I become a dad in the nearby future I definitely try this to my baby. As for the moment, I encouraged my cousin to read this article for her upcoming baby so that if she encounters situations like this “diet shift phase” she knows what to do.
Thank you for sharing my post with your cousin. I believed that most parents would like their kids to be healthy.
I super agree with you mom Jem ‘coz my little boy is currently going through this stage as he gets to explore eating different kinds of foods especially those seen in TV ads. Nevertheless, I just always make sure he eats fruits and veggies everyday even in not so big quantities, and milk of course. Cheers!!!
Hi Gigi,
Yes there is a big influence with TV ads and to deal with that I always explain to my child of the good and bad benefits that we can get from unhealthy foods.
I think the most effective way is really to allow your child join you in preparing your food .. it will excite him with the outcome of the food you prepared and willbecome conscious and aware of the importance of food..
Yes, it is very effective in my part and we do that at least 2x a week because it requires enough time to prepare food with the child. Also, served as a bonding moment.
but sometimes encouraging our children to eat this and that is a different thing to them…they feel they are forced and coerced…and then they lost interest and will go or eat which contrary to our will…Mothers know how to resolve this, we fathers are not that gifted…
Yes it is mostly the nature of a mother on how she can adapt to the changes of her child while father is lovingly supporting the needs.
my child still experience this even though he is now 9 years old and really it is sometimes annoying
diet shifts really are tough… got to be very imaginative to be able to let my kids eat vegetables, fruits… even meat. this could help a lot. thanks. Yahweh bless.
Hi Ralph,
Yes, we parents should be imaginative and creative too to be able to help our children eat veggies and fruits.
Hmmm.. not a mother yet. But I think giving the kids milk twice a day and the food apps sounds fun and acceptable. 🙂
Most parents give milk twice a day to children in this diet shift phase. And yes food apps makes children excited with making foods encouraging them to eat.
I believe that we have to introduce healthy foods for our children so that they may grow up to be healthy as well. These are great guidelines but I’m afraid I can hardly aplly some to my kids.
Hi Marri, It is very challenging to deal with diet shift. I believe parents have instincts of which ways works well with their kids.
Uh-oh, I’ve diagnosed myself with Diet Shift as well 🙁 Otherwise known as change of diet programs? 😛
Sometimes I am like that 🙂 . For now I really need to show my children that I am eating healthy foods so that they can imitate what I eat and encourage them as well.
I think even adults get into this phase as well XD I remember when I was in my teenage years, I can’t even eat petchay! BUT, I’m happy that now I actually prefer healthier foods over unhealthy ones 🙂 Anyway, thank you for sharing these tips. It’ll come in handy when I become a mother myself ^^