All about balance

All about BALANCE- how healthy eating is just as important as training hard

A key element of gymnastics is balance…but did you know that a balanced, healthy diet is equally as important as everything your child does at their sessions!

We understand that your little ones may seem like they have more than enough energy to burn and always seem to be hunting for their next sugary snack, but ensuring your child has a healthy and balanced diet is extremely important to their overall health and wellbeing.

With so much healthy eating information out there, many parents often feel confused about the best way to balance their children’s mealtimes and snacks to ensure they are happy, healthy, and receiving all the nutrients their body needs to grow and develop in the best way.

Spinning plates…

Just as with their gymnastics, variety, confidence to try new things, and having fun is one of the most important elements to a healthy diet. The best way to achieve this and give your little stars the confidence to try new, healthy snacks is to enjoy eating meals together whenever possible. This doesn’t need to be all the time; we know that balancing life as parent doesn’t always make this possible but setting aside the time to enjoy a nutritious meal with your little ones is a great way to set them up with healthy eating habits from a young age.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to balancing your diet is to ensure that your food choices are as varied as possible. Setting your little ones up for success is to try and experiment with a wide range of colours, textures, and flavours when it comes to making meals. Balancing new, healthy ‘experiment meals’ alongside your family favourites is a great way to balance your weekly meal plans and introduce new, exciting ingredients into your child’s diet.

A healthy, balanced diet should consist of a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, oily fish, dairy, fats, lots of different fruit and of course, plenty of vegetables!

Starchy carbohydrates are a great source of energy for growing kids, especially if they are active, these can include potatoes, pasta, rice, and oats. Iron is also very important for growing bodies, transporting oxygen around the body, which is very important for exercise. This essential nutrient can be found in lean meat, beans, and green leafy vegetables.

Now for the good bit….balance!

Healthy eating habits is about ensuring your little ones have a great relationship with food. This means that there is nothing wrong with balancing your attempt to hide vegetables in their meals with the odd treat snack! Learning that sugary ‘unhealthy’ snacks are allowed but need to be balanced with a good mix of fruit, vegetables and healthy food choices is a fantastic way to give your little ones the confidence to make healthy food decisions as they grow up.

In summary…

Healthy eating and lifestyle habits are established in early life and learning about balanced, healthy diets is very important. Children are far more likely to adopt similar habits into adulthood if they are set a good example early on. The same goes for exercise, the two go hand in hand in ensuring our children’s overall wellbeing!

If your child is inspired to take up gymnastics and wants to experience the joy and life-long friendships and bundles of fun that being part of Beth Tweddle Gymnastics brings, why not book into one of our FREE taster sessions and give us a try.