We all want to give our kids the best start in life. We send them to good schools, limit their screen time, help them with their homework, and encourage them to exercise. If you want your kids to be happy and healthy, however, you must also feed them nutritious foods. A combination of junk food commercials and peer pressure makes it very difficult for you to provide your kids with a balanced diet. Little ones turn up their noses at anything green, opting for foods full of fat and sugar instead. If you’re struggling to get your kids to eat right, here are ten things you can do.
Go Grocery Shopping Together
Going grocery shopping is an activity most find parents find easier doing alone. However, it is important that your kids see foods on the shelves and in their raw states. This allows them the opportunity to look at new things and ask questions. If your little one seems to be interested in a certain type of vegetable or fruit, then put it in the basket and take it home. Far too many parents assume their children won’t like certain foods, which can stop them from finding their favorites.
Get The Kids Cooking
Kids are much more likely to eat a meal if they’ve had a hand in making it. Because of this, you should encourage your children to help you in the kitchen. Even a little one can wash vegetables, stir, measure out ingredients, and more, while older kids can chop, peel, and help with the actual cooking. Another tactic is serving “build it yourself” foods, like tacos, fajitas, sandwiches, and salad bars. All you need to do is set out the healthy ingredients and let the kids do all the rest.
Give Them Some Control
No one likes being told what to do, especially boisterous little ones and independent older kids. This principle applies to the dinner table as much as it does any other aspect of life. For this reason, you must give your kids the autonomy that they crave. However, you can do so in a healthier way. Instead of allowing your children to choose whatever snack they want, you should give them a few healthy options. A choice between celery and an apple would work, for example.
Use A Gateway Food
Although some kids adapt to change quite easily, others are much more suspicious of new things. This can make introducing different meals into your children’s diets incredibly difficult. The simple solution to this is to combine those new foods with ones your kids already like. If your children don’t want to try broccoli, for example, you could mix it into an omelet or mac and cheese. You could suggest that they try pairing it with different dips and sauces too.
Play With Your Meals
Eating should not be a stressful experience. In fact, it should be enjoyable, exciting, and fun. Therefore, instead of telling your kids not to play with their food, you should encourage them to do so. You could give certain foods new names, to make them seem more interesting, or arrange plates in a fun way. You might benefit from playing mealtime games too. This can get your kids eating well and give them fond memories of food to look back on as they grow up.
Offer A Better Alternative
Some of your kids’ favorite foods aren’t going to be particularly healthy. Instead of banning these products from the house and causing problems with your little ones, you should offer healthier alternatives. A vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe, for example, is much more nutritious than the conventional egg and dairy-laden kind but tastes just as great. Potato chips can also be replaced with tortilla chips, while sweet potato and baked vegetable fries work as french fries.
Allow The Occasional Treat
Some parents feel as though they have failed when their little ones insist they want junk food. But, let’s face it, chips are tasty with a sandwich and chocolate tastes great no matter what. If your children aren’t into the healthier alternatives to their favorite snacks, then allow them the usual kind now and then. This won’t do them any damage but will save everyone a lot of bother. Plus, trying to keep your kids from certain foods is just going to make them want them more.
Never Reward With Food
Although you should allow your kids to eat a little junk now and then, you shouldn’t use these foods as a reward for good behavior. This only makes them more desirable and healthy foods less so. Similarly, you shouldn’t punish your child for not eating foods they don’t want to. It’s also important that you don’t insist that they clean their plates at every meal either. This can result in a negative relationship between you and your child, as well as between your child and eating.
Set A Good Example
Kids learn from and copy the actions of their parents. This means that, if your child sees you eating junk food every day, then they’ll think that it’s the norm and want to as well. If you want your kids to eat better, then you have to do the same. You must set a good example and show willing to try new foods. However, don’t let on when you don’t like something. This will likely cause your little one to say that they don’t like it either, whether that’s the truth or not.
Don’t Try Too Hard
Getting your little ones to eat right should not feel like a war. Nutritious meals don’t always have to be elaborate or cost a lot of money. You also shouldn’t be cooking different meals for every member of your family. Just prepare the foods that you normally would and leave the rest up to your kids. Trying to bribe your children or threatening to punish them for not eating healthily makes it into a much bigger deal than needed. With some time, your kids will make the right choices.
Getting your children to eat right can be difficult, but the tips above should make it a little easier.
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