Junk foods are ruining the health of our children and they are so addictive that a child cannot be made to understand to not consume it. One of the leading causes of childhood obesity is the increasing
consumption of junk foods. So try swapping the regular junk item with healthy ingredients at home.

1. Burgers - Burgers available outside are loaded with potato patty, fried multiple times, no vegetables and unhealthy dressings. It can be made at home with home made tomato pesto sauce, hung curd dressing and homemade vegetable patty. Additionally lettuce leaves can be added to burger.

2. Pizza - Pizzas can be made healthier at home, by making a roti pizza by adding all the vegetables the child relishes on the roti and little grated cheese. Also bread pizza can be prepared with suji / semolina can be used to give it a better healthier version.

3. French fries - These crunchy potato fingers that the babies relish to eat are full of calories and trans fat. But they can be made for your kid by air frying or baking it. It gives the crunchiness to the fries,
without any harmful substances added.

4. Candies - Children love candies available in the market that are loaded with sugar and artificial colours. But dehydrated fruits can be used to make such candies at home such as amla candy, papaya candy or dehydrated strawberries.

5. Maggi - Kids just can’t resist eating maggi. So make this 2-minute maggi healthy by adding vegetables to it or tossing it with spinach puree and stuffing this maggi in sandwich.

6. Bakery products - Kids love to munch on cookies and cake. Rather than buying it from market, prepare at home with whole wheat flour and sweeteners such as banana. Also add nuts such as walnuts or almonds to it for better nutrient value.

7. Ice cream - Ice cream tempts everyone may it be an elderly or a kid. You can make homemade kulfi with gulkand or ghia kulfi. Or substitute with homemade yoghurt made with real fruit and no preservatives or flavours.

8. Frozen pops - Children love eating orange bar or kala khatta etc which is just a frozen flavour with added sugar. But you can make frozen popsicles at home with fresh fruits and coconut water.

9. Samosas - This dish made with frying is a strict no for children. Rather make samosas at home by baking, dough to be used should be of whole wheat flour and stuffing should be done with moong dal.

So don’t say no to the junk foods to your child because they surely want to eat it as they associate food with happiness. So cheer them up with delicious looking and healthy snacks at home and try to be as
innovative as possible because children eat what they like looking at.