1.
Be the
best example for your children. If
you’re not eating the broccoli, good luck getting the little ones to. As parents, sometimes it’s easier to do
something for our kids than for ourselves.
So here’s your reason to eat your vegetables – so your kids will get the
nutrients that are vital to their growth and health.
2.
Offer
fruit and vegetables at every meal.
Every meal. At breakfast you can
stick to fruit, although a smoothie with some spinach in it tastes just as good
as a smoothie without the green. At
lunch and dinner there should be a vegetable on every plate. If you have picky eaters, keep putting that
one piece of broccoli or two carrots on their plate. They will eventually try it, especially if
everyone else is enjoying it. Don’t
force it if you’ve never made them eat it before, but the more they see it the
more familiar it will be. It could take
15 times for a kid to see a food on her plate for her to accept it as a normal
food.
3.
Offer a
variety of foods. Kids might not eat
a perfectly balanced meal every time they sit down, but over the course of a
week or two they will choose a balanced diet.
So don’t stress if he didn’t eat as much protein one day or wouldn’t
even look at an apple slice. Too often
parents will give up on a food after a few turn-downs. Always have fresh fruits and vegetables for
snacking, along with healthy proteins like nuts, seeds, bean dip or
hummus. If you offer to make mac and
cheese every day for lunch, your kids will want mac and cheese every day for
lunch. If you have goldfish crackers
out, they will eat them. Give them more
whole food options and they will choose a balanced diet.
4.
Include
your children in preparing meals and snacks. Kids love to stir and mix and squish and
touch things. Give them the opportunity
to be involved and they will be more willing to eat what they made
themselves. Maybe one night a week,
instead of frozen or delivery pizza, make your own at home. Pizza dough is super easy to make and
everyone can put what they want on theirs.
Or ask them to “wash the tomatoes really well so they taste really good.” Have kids set the table and let them choose
where everyone will sit for the night.
Little ones love having a job and being a part of the process – they feel
important.
5.
Feed your
children (and yourself) real food, with real ingredients. This means cooking from scratch. Look for foods with 5 or fewer ingredients
and ones that you actually know what they are and can picture where they came
from. Fresh fruits, vegetables (I know I
sound like a broken record, but that’s because this is what is missing the most
from everyone’s diet), whole grains, local and organic meat, eggs and dairy,
beans, lentils and legumes. This is real
food. Anything that is “hydrolyzed” or “modified”
or you can’t pronounce is probably not real food. Look for foods without added sugar,
artificial sweeteners or added colors.
This is a big step and can be very difficult, so start by adding in the
whole foods and slowly you’ll notice you’re not buying as much of the other “food.”
6.
Give
thanks for the food you eat. Teach
your kids to be thankful for what you’re eating. Whether or not your family says prayers, it
is important for kids to learn not to take things for granted. Someone prepared the meal, so at the very
least acknowledge and thank the person who put the effort in. If it was a family effort, even better,
everyone gets a little praise!
As always, I love feedback. You can reach me at:
