Ideas To Encourage Your Children To Eat Healthily

Encourage kids to make healthy food choices

They usually want to eat what tastes good, and that doesn’t necessarily mean what is GOOD FOR THEM.  Sweets, foods high in fat and salty snacks are often at the top of their lists. If your mealtimes are battles here are a few tips to help convince your kids that healthy foods can taste good, too.

Children need proper nutrition and a balanced diet to grow up healthy. Here are a few tips that can help you to entice your kids from the smallest toddler to the pickiest teen to say yes to healthy foods.

Tip #1 Family meals are not just about eating; they are about sharing with each other and bonding with each member. Family meals are times when food brings you to the table and the chance to spend some quality time with each other, finding out about each other’s day. While seated around the family table the food is placed where everyone has access. While seated, eating becomes a slower paced affair rather than the rushed on the go eating many do every day at fast food restaurant drive-thrus. Sitting down to eat in a relaxed atmosphere is better on your digestion. Kids are more likely to try different foods when they see adults around them eating them.

Tip #2 Give your children a variety of healthy foods and snacks in various shapes and colors. We want to encourage kids to make healthy food choices, but they get bored easily, and they enjoy trying new things as long as it looks interesting and fun. Get creative with cookie cutters, and you will find that your kids may surprise you at what they will eat. I love Super Healthy Kids website for fun, new, healthy meal and snack ideas.

Tip #3 Avoid battles over food. Place the food in reach, make it as appealing as possible and watch your child try it. Don’t push or demand, just make the food available.

Tip #4 Allow your kids to be involved in the process of shopping, preparing and serving food. The fact that they had a part in the food process gives children ownership, and they will be more likely to eat the food.  Check out this book for Cooking with Kids!**

Making these tips work for your family is easier than you think.

Kids enjoy the comfort of knowing when things happen. This means scheduling regular times for sit down meals at home gives children predictability and reduces stress at meal times.

Do you know what studies have shown in children who take part in regular family meals?

Studies show that children who participate in regular family meals are more likely to:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• More likely to snack on healthier foods,
• Less likely to start smoking, drink alcohol or use marijuana

Family meals give children the opportunity to try new foods, and to observe their parents eating healthy foods. It may be challenging to get Teens on board with family meal time if they’re not accustomed to it.

Children are likely to appreciate that family mealtimes are a chance to seek advice and counsel from parents without having to make a point of doing so. Instead, they can “innocently” ask a question or interject a comment to get a parent’s reaction.

Keep in mind, family meals do not have to be just when you are around the family table at home. As a result, meals can be around a restaurant table or a picnic table in your favorite park. Anywhere the kids can share a meal with the adults in their life is a family meal can encourage kids to make healthy food choices. The main ingredient to a family meal is that your loved ones gather around a table that is filled with good things to eat that are healthy for everyone to eat.