Are you a someone who either has children, is around children or just looking for ways to help promote healthy eating to youngsters? Here are tips to help you introduce healthy foods to children in a manner that may actually work!
1. Model Healthy eating: One of the most important ways to help children eat healthier is to eat healthy infront of them. They learn by observation and not necessarily by you telling them to “eat their veggies”. One of the best ways to teach is not only by preaching but by example!
2. Eat together: Even with our busy lives and schedules, it is important to set aside a time to eat together. Usually the meals you take the time to prepare and sit down to eat are healthier. It also offers an opportunity to socialize about food and eating and model your healthy eating behaviors so once again, they learn healthy eating habits from watching you.
3. Increase exposure to healthy foods: Make sure children are exposed to a variety of healthy foods. The more exposure children can have to different healthy foods, the better off they are in finding ones they like. While often they may not like foods upon their first try, if you continue to introduce them to different types and varieties, you may find ways they like food or combinations in which they will eat their greens. For example, they may not like steamed green beans but maybe they like them broiled. It is important to reintroduce foods as it may take 15 tries but maybe that 15th time they like the food. Keep trying!
4. Allow them to make their own portions. If you let children to pick their own portions, they may only take a piece but it is better than overloading them with too many greens and detouring them from eating any at all.
5. Allow them to be in control. It has been shown that when adults pressure kids to “eat all their greens” they don’t want to but when they are in control of eating their greens on their own, they will eat them. Often children won’t do things because their parents or adults are them so if you allow them to be in control, the chances of them actually eating their greens is much higher!
6. Don’t allow your children to refuse food for other options. Be sure you serve what is served and don’t allow them to convince you otherwise. Allow them to help you pick out foods for dinner and give them options while preparing or deciding on foods but once dinner is served, do not allow the children to change their minds and convince you to prepare something totally different.
7. Limit eating while watching T.V. or in front of the computer. This an form habits of restless eating and will become a negative habit they will carry with them and be hard to break, years down the road. Be sure you enforce eating at the dinner table, regardless of what meal it is.
8. Limit t.v. time, period. The Television promotes so many unhealthy food options so the more you can limit t.v. time, the better off children will be from coming up with unhealthy food choices they seen on commercials!
9. Serve things that are similar to things they like. If a child likes carrots, maybe try serving yams or pumpkin puree, as they will relate the foods and are more likely to eat them!
10. Make eating fun. Make their eating time a time to learn about healthy nutrition, activity, and different types of food and what they do to the body. Maybe plant a garden and allow your children to help cultivate foods, pick their foods for dinner and enjoy in the growing process of different fruits and vegetables. If you don’t have a garden, maybe opt to go to your local farmers market and allow kids to pick out their favorite produce. You can always do this at your local supermarket! Make children feel like they have some control and are involved!
It is important to teach children at a young age so they have the foundation for lifelong success and their choices become a lifestyle. It is best to introduce healthy foods and choices at a young age so they are comfortable with healthy choices! There are so many ways to be creative and teach children to love their greens! It may take time and patience but there are many ways to go about finding what works for each child! Good luck and remember, the best answer is to teach by example!!
