One of the most frequent questions I get from readers and other parents is "How do you get your kids to eat so many different healthy foods?" . Lucky for us Bridget Sandorford, culinary writer and today's guest blogger, has created a wonderful resource for you to encourage your child to eat healthy foods. Take it away, Bridget....
Every
parent knows how difficult it can be to get kids to eat their peas
and carrots -- or any other food that looks remotely like a vegetable
or remotely healthy. Dinner time often turns into a tableside battle,
with parents cajoling, coercing, or threatening in order to get their
kids to eat the foods that are so important to their health and
development.
While
there will never be a magic bullet for getting kids to eat a healthy
diet, there are a few tricks that can help you to avoid the battles
and to get your kids to eat more nutritious foods. One of those
tricks is to make healthy eating fun. Here are a few ideas for how to
make healthy eating fun for kids:
Use
Veggies in Their Favorite Dishes
Kids
aren't likely to ever get excited about a plateful of plain Brussels
sprouts. However, if you start with some of their favorite foods,
you can slip in some healthy veggies and have them feeling excited
about what they're about to eat. Add veggies to dishes like pizza and
tacos, and add fresh fruits to desserts and toast. Your kids will get
the nutrients they need and the taste they want.
Create
Food Art
Most of
the time, veggies just look boring. You can make healthy foods fun by
creating food art. Make funny faces out of veggies on sandwich bread
or fruit on waffles. Use fruits to create a "cake." Use
pieces of cauliflower and some black olives to create a plate full of
"sheep." Be creative and see what you can come up with!
When all else fails, browse Pinterest for some fun ideas.
Grow
a Garden Together
Kids are
more likely to get excited about healthy foods when they are involved
in the process of growing them. Start a small garden and involve your
children in managing it. Allow them to pick out a crop or two to
grow. Put them in charge of small sections of the garden. Let them
take care of certain tasks, such as planting seeds or weeding. The
more invested children feel in growing the food, the more excited
they will feel about eating it when it's ready to harvest.
Cook
Together
When
kids are given some autonomy, they will more excited about whatever
it is they are doing. You can get them more excited about eating
healthy foods by inviting them into the kitchen to help you cook
healthy foods. Assign age-appropriate tasks, such as rinsing veggies,
breaking off stems, shelling peas, filling bowls with water, getting
out pots and pans, and so on. The more you can involve kids, the more
excited they will be about the resulting meal -- and the more pride
they will feel in eating it.
Play
Games about Healthy Eating
There
are many online games that you can play with your kids to teach them
about healthy eating and make them more excited about doing it. Try
out Nourish Interactive (http://www.nourishinteractive.com/kids) for
some ideas. When kids are done playing games, they will want to try
out the foods they have learned about. Try to follow up with fun
dishes that use ingredients they have just learned about.
Getting
kids to eat healthy has been a struggle for parents across the ages.
While you may never inspire a complete change of heart, you can get
kids a little more excited about filling up on their fruits and
veggies -- or at least giving them a fighting chance.
What
tricks do you use to get your kids to eat more healthy foods? Share
your tips in the comments!
About
the Author:
Bridget
Sandorford is a freelance food and culinary writer, where recently
she’s been researching culinary
schools in Cincinnati.
In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her
first cookbook.
