If you have young children, then I’m sure you know how difficult it is to get them to eat healthily. As a parent of five children, I’ve struggled. From an early age, they are aware of their surroundings, so we try to provide them with good food choices. Early on, I was determined to make my children love healthy food. The key wasn’t forcing the kids to eat veggies (which never works) but making sure they learned to love healthy food. Here are my top tips on getting my children to love healthy food.
Plan Ahead
Planning is a daily process that takes a lot of work, and planning is the key to success. But once you get into the habit of planning meals and snacks ahead of time, it gets much easier.
At the very least, plan for the week ahead. Try to include a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits in your weekly menu.
Create a grocery list based on your weekly meal plan and shop once or twice a week so that you always have healthy options on hand.
Preparing food in advance makes it easier to make healthier choices throughout the day. Make a double batch of dinner and freeze leftovers for another night or pack them for lunch the next day.
If you know that you will be short on time one day this week, prepare more food than usual so that you can use leftovers later in the week.
Maintain a well-stocked pantry with quick-cooking items like brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat pasta, so you always have something on hand when the kids are hungry.
Be Mindful
Keep junk food out of the house. If you’re craving something sweet after dinner, try eating a piece of dark chocolate or having some fruit instead. Dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate and pairs nicely with fruit (try strawberry slices or banana coins with dark chocolate chips melted on top).
Don’t drink your calories. Instead of drinking soda or juice, drink water or tea instead. Cutting back on soda is one of the best ways to cut down on sugar in your diet. If you’re bored with plain water, try adding sliced lemon or lime to a pitcher and refrigerate overnight for a refreshing drink the next day, or brew up some green tea for an afternoon pick-me-up and use honey to sweeten it naturally.
Model good choices. The best way for a parent to help their kids eat better is to model good eating habits themselves. Kids love to copy what mom and dad do, especially when it comes to food. If you have a nutritious diet, they will want to have the same things that you are eating. Children aren’t born knowing that some foods are better than others; they need guidance from their parents — both at home and school — to develop their tastes, preferences, and lifelong health habits.
Eat Healthy On-The-Go
Look for the Kids LiveWell logo. This is a voluntary program created by the National Restaurant Association in partnership with Healthy Dining, which assists restaurants across the country in identifying and promoting healthier menu options for kids. By searching online, you can find restaurants serving healthier options in your area.
Stock up on snacks. Keep small packs of nuts, dried fruit, and yogurt bites in the car or purse, so they’re on hand when hunger strikes.
Bring your own food. When we have time before leaving home or have access to a refrigerator while we’re out, we bring cut-up vegetables or fruit to snack on.
Order healthier options at restaurants. When eating out at fast food places or family restaurants, ask if they have any side dishes that don’t come with french fries — like applesauce, veggies, brown rice, etc.
Accessibility Of Healthy Food Choices
Make it accessible. I’m a busy mom with little time for grocery shopping or cooking elaborate meals, and that’s why I always keep healthy snacks on hand for my kids — low-fat string cheese, carrots, and yogurt are some of their favorites.
Make it fun. My kids love helping me in the kitchen and love putting fun toppings on their food. We’ll add fruit (blueberries, bananas, or strawberries) to oatmeal or top yogurt with granola cereal or raisins.
Stock the refrigerator. Easy access to cut-up fruits and veggies, hummus, and yogurt dip. If it’s there when he gets hungry, they’ll grab it first. Keep fresh fruit within easy reach — not just bananas or apples but grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and whatever else is in season. They should be washed, so they’re ready to eat right away. Keep chopped veggies in the fridge, too — carrots, cucumber slices, red pepper strips, and celery sticks — so they can help themselves to those if they want them. It’s about convenience; if making healthy food choices is convenient for them, then they’ll do it more often than not.
Get Creative
Hide it in other foods. Most kids aren’t crazy about vegetables but try hiding them in their favorite foods. For example, finely chopped spinach goes excellent in spaghetti sauce, smoothies or macaroni, and cheese.
Creative shapes. Create fun and exciting shapes out of the vegetables and use cookie cutters to make them easily. Kids love shapes! They will be so impressed with what they see on the plate they will eat all their food without complaint or observation.
Involve The Kids In Meal Prep
Kids love getting their hands dirty. When they’re involved in the process of preparing healthy meals, they’re more likely to try them. Perhaps even consider giving them options for what’s for dinner? Add new menu items to expand their food diversity. Cooking together is also a fantastic bonding time!
Have Fun!
Cultivating a love of healthy food in your kids needn’t be an uphill battle. With a bit of planning, some creativity, and a bit of self-discipline, you too can have your child begging for leafy greens.
When it comes down to the most basic formula for getting children to eat healthily, it’s pretty simple: have fun with it. Fun equals excitement, enthusiasm, engagement. And people are more engaged when they eat a wider variety of foods. It helps them discover they like new tastes and encourages them to keep trying new things. As caretakers, we want to make healthy food as “fun” as possible. It is all about taking the mystery out of eating these new foods and introducing them so that the children can learn, create, and explore their environment through all five senses.