Here are a few tips for getting your little one to eat healthier:
1. Give your child milk or water to drink throughout the day. She doesn't need juice at all. Whole fruit is much better for them. One glass of juice has way more sugar than a piece of fruit and no fiber. If you do decide to give her juice, either make your own fresh or buy juice that is not from concentrate and has no added sugar. And then cut it in half with water to minimize the amount of sugar she is getting. The only juice I give to Joy is what we make ourselves. And I always combine fruit and vegetable juices. Since she has never had juice from the grocery store, she doesn't know any different and loves it. We made bok choy and orange juice the other day and I couldn't believe how much she drank. Vegetable juices are great because they provide a ton of vitamins and don't have much sugar. But if your little one isn't as brave as Joy, you can do orange/carrot or cucumber/apple. I will still add water or at least ice cubes to cut it down. Joy will also drink what juice is left after we finish watermelon or pineapple. I just pour it into a cup and add a little water. And we aren't spending any money on juice or creating any extra waste.
2. Offer your kids vegetables. Offer them again. And again. Studies have shown that some kids won't even taste a food until it's been offered 10-15 times. And it might take trying it over and over to actually like it. So put a little on his plate and offer him bites of what you are eating. We all know that whatever is on our plate is way more appealing than whatever is on his plate. Joy loves to "share" mommy's food. Also, when you are cooking, put out a little bowl of veggies as "appetizers" before dinner. Frozen peas, baby carrots or green beans are good for munching. Your little one might be more willing to eat some vegetables before he's full from his dinner. I will also put out fruit or veggies while Joy is playing, so if she is wanting to snack, but not really hungry, she has a much healthier option than cheese crackers or cookies.
3. Get sneaky. If you've tried all of the above suggestions and your little one still won't touch anything green, puree some vegetables and add them to what you are cooking for him. I will add some recipes later, but here are a few simple ideas. I will add pureed carrots or sweet potato to macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs and breads. I will add pureed spinach to spaghetti sauce. Or, add some vegetable juice to her orange juice (if you're giving her juice). Some things are acquired tastes. So the more you add vegetables to anything and everything, eventually, the taste will grow on your child and she will start to like the taste. So eventually she will eat a carrot. Or a pea or squash or whatever you are preparing. So whether you are offering her straight vegetables or sneaking them in wherever you can, you ultimately want her to like vegetables so that she will grow into a healthy adult. It is so important to expose kids to whole fruits and vegetables in as many ways, shapes and forms as possible. And remember, you are her number one role model, so set a good example of healthy eating. Give her a healthy start and develop good habits now that she can carry into adulthood.
4. Try to give your little one as many whole foods as possible and avoid processed foods. I know it is so much easier to grab pre-packaged food for lunches and snacks, but look at the label to see what ingredients are really going in there. So be prepared. Cut up apples the night before, put baby carrots into baggies, wash enough fruits and vegetables to get through a day or two and have them easily accessible. Try making macaroni and cheese from scratch and not a box. Make home-made soup and freeze part so that you have a healthy meal ready for those days you just don't get dinner on the table and would otherwise order a pizza. The freezer is your friend! Freeze chopped or pureed veggies in small serving sizes that you can throw into a dish later. For example, you can pull out 1/2 cup pureed spinach in the morning and by that evening it is ready to go into the pasta sauce. The bottom line is that the fresher the food is that you give your children, the fewer preservatives and chemicals you are feeding your little one. Home-made cookies are even better than packaged ones...and it's so much fun cooking with the little ones!
No comments:
Post a Comment