Kids do not naturally gravitate towards eating healthy. Most of them will choose a bowl of ice cream over broccoli any day of the week. It’s hard blame them – a majority of adults would probably pick the ice cream too! The difference of course being that adults know the consequences of eating too much ice cream and avoiding vegetables, kids don’t. So as adults, it is important we teach our children well from an early age and lead them down the path of healthy eating. Here are some tips to get your kids off on the right foot:
1. As soon as they are eating solid food, your kids should eat what you eat. Forget those ridiculous bland “toddler meals” you see in every grocery store. They are expensive and flavorless and there is no reason to buy them. If your child can chew, he can eat what you eat – just be sure to cut his food up into small pieces to avoid any risk of choking. You may need to lay off the cayenne pepper when you cook, but there is no reason to delay exposing your child to otherwise fully flavored foods.
2. Expose your children to a variety of food. Seems obvious, but it is easily to get stuck in a routine. The same cereal in the morning, the same sandwich for lunch, and the same rotation of meals for dinner. Take some time to think about alternatives you can offer your child. If nothing comes to mind, do some online searches for recipes or just ask some friends for ideas. Variety is not only the spice of life; it’s a good theme to get your child use to trying different things at a young age so he doesn’t avoid anything unfamiliar as he gets older.
3. What’s for dinner is what’s for dinner. You make dinner, you serve dinner, your kids eat that dinner. No exceptions. If you make Susie a peanut butter and jelly sandwich one night because she doesn’t like meatloaf, it will be expected. Unless everyone seems to agree that something is truly horrible (it happens to us all!), there is no reason your kids can’t eat the dinner they are given.
4. A fruit with every breakfast, a vegetable with every dinner. A simple rule to follow and one that will expose your kids to the kind of food they should be eating. Have a variety of fruit in the house and whatever your kids have for breakfast, they have a piece of fruit with it (hint: fruit is sometimes more appealing if you cut it up & put it in a bowl rather than just hand your child whole apple, pear, etc.). If you have the time, make a big fruit salad – you can serve it with breakfast and your kids can snack on it between meals for days!
With all of the easily microwavable frozen, and still incredibly nutrient rich, vegetables available today; there is no excuse not to include a vegetable with every dinner. Do they have to eat all of their vegetables? Yes. But serve reasonable portions so if it’s not their favorite they aren’t completely miserable trying to stomach a giant heap! A little side salad – preferably with romaine lettuce or fresh spinach (since iceberg lettuce is a nutritional void) – is also a nice option.
5. Talk to your kids about eating right. Giving them good food isn’t enough, you need to explain to them the benefits of eating well and the pitfalls of eating poorly. Nothing too complicated, just a simple mention here and there about how fruits, vegetables and whole grains make your body strong and healthy; whereas junk food, cookies, etc do the opposite. It’s okay to have unhealthy food as a treat every once in a while, but if you want to live an active, long, healthy life; it is important to eat healthy food most of the time.
6. Subway & Salad Bars – go for it! Subway and salad bars are great ways for your kids to enjoy a variety of fresh crisp vegetables at a young age. At Subway, load up their sandwich with ALL of the veggies – if they start out eating this way they’ll never look back. If your grocery store or a local restaurant has a salad bar, let them build a salad. Make a big deal of it since they are “making” their own food, but help them make good choices (you don’t want to end up with a big bowl of macaroni salad and shredded cheese!).
7. Try different ethnic food eateries. Going out to eat is expensive no doubt, but every once in a while take your kids out for sushi, Indian food, Thai, etc.. Maybe there is a local Chinese restaurant that offers dim sum? Not only will they enjoy the cultural decor, but exposing them to different cuisines goes a long way in opening their minds to trying new things down the road. If something doesn’t appeal to them, ask that they try one bite – they don’t have to eat anymore if they don’t like it, but they can’t spit it out either!
8. Re-introduce food. Just because little Sammy doesn’t like mushrooms when he is four doesn’t mean he will still object to them when he is seven. Kids’ tastes change as they get older, so encourage your kids to give things they think they don’t like another try.
9. Don’t tolerate pickiness. Hopefully if you follow the previous pearls of wisdom, you won’t have a picky eater on your hands, but if you do, put an end to it. Don’t allow your kids to pick apart their food and eat only the parts they like. No eating the chicken & noodles out of soup and leaving the carrots and celery behind. It is just not acceptable, period.
10. Take a vacation from healthy eating. Everyone, kids and adults alike, deserves some time to splurge. My family has been known to eschew healthy eating during family vacations. We by no means ban vegetables, but we don’t insist on them. Nightly hot fudge sundaes become the norm. After several days of less than stellar eating, you might be surprised how everyone finds themself ready for a nice salad!