Encouraging Children to Eat Healthy Foods
by Sheila Somerlock Ruth
I was naive, I admit it. When my son was a baby, I thought that if I raised him eating healthy foods, that he would grow up to love them. I made my own baby food, because homemade baby food tastes better than the kind you buy in jars, and I wanted him to learn to love the taste of fresh vegetables. But something happened along the way. The theory was sound, but in practice it didn't work out. So now my five year old eats too many chicken nuggets (especially the kind that come with toys) and, like many American children, says "Ewwwww" at the sight of vegetables.
That doesn't mean I've giving up. Every experienced parent knows that stealth is a parent's best weapon when it comes to getting kids to eat healthy. But stealth goes way beyond the time-honored practice of covering vegetables in cheese sauce. Here are some tips I've discovered for encouraging healthy eating in your children:
- The best way to get kids to eat vegetables is to not serve vegetables! At least, don't serve them as a separate dish. There are lots of great meals that have vegetables incorporated into them - soup, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings, and omelets are a few of my son's favorites.
- Make vegetables available but not necessarily on their plates. If I ask my son if he wants a salad, he'll wrinkle up his nose in disgust. But if I have a salad, he'll eat half of it. The same thing applies to other healthy foods. If I have some on my plate, but don't offer any to him, then often he'll ask if he can have some.
- There are lots of interesting varieties of frozen vegetables available today. Experiment with different ones to see what your child enjoys. My son particularly likes Cheesy Rice and Broccoli and Stouffers Spinach Souffle.
- If you are looking for someplace to eat on the road, pass up the usual fast food fare and try Subway instead. Subway is proof that fast food doesn't have to be fried. They have a variety of sandwiches and subs, and best of all, you can load up your sandwich with lots of fresh toppings. They even have a kids meal which comes with a toy, so your children won't feel like they are missing out by not going to those "other" fast food restaurants. My son particularly loves their tuna fish sandwich with cheese.
- Another good place to go when eating out is a buffet style restaurant. Buffets let children have the control of choosing their own food, and you may be surprised at some of their choices.
- Visit the grandparents often! For some reason, children will eat almost anything if it is prepared by their grandparents. My son has tried, and enjoyed, all sorts of healthy foods at his grandparents' houses. But if I try to make the exact same dish at home, he won't eat it.
I try never to let the words, "Eat your vegetables," leave my lips. I don't want him to grow up thinking of vegetables as something he has to eat. Instead, I'd rather he learn to enjoy eating healthy foods in a natural way. If that means using stealth, then I'll be the sneakiest Mom around!
Books About Healthy Eating For Children
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Homemade Baby Food Pure and Simple One of the most important decisions new parents will make is what to feed their baby. As more parents recognize the importance of choosing and introducing the most nourishing and wholesome food for all stages of infant development, they are turning away from bottled, processed baby foods and looking for easy ways to make healthful, homemade meals for their little one instead. Baby Gourmet Quick and Easy shows you how to prepare excellent homemade food for the three stages of their baby's development: infants, older babies, and toddlers. Each healthful recipe contains basic step-by-step instructions that are within the grasp of even the busiest parents. |
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Healthy Food for Healthy Kids : A Practical and Tasty Guide to Your Child's Nutrition Here is a guide to preparing healthy meals your kids will love to eat. It tells you how to teach your children healthy eating habits and shares hints and recipes for happy mealtimes. |
Healthy Eating Web Pages
How to Teach Your Children to Live the Healthy Way
By Susan Y. Attiyah
It's easy after a hard day of work to pick up fast food for dinner. Your kids need more than that, and they need you to set the example. Susan Attiyah provides helpful advice for establishing some healthy eating habits for your kids.
Kids & Veggies - Winning The War
Everyone knows that children need to eat their vegetables, from grandmothers to research scientists....There's plenty of data out there with all the reasons. But how do we as parents accomplish that?
Collection of articles about healthy eating for kids of all ages, from toddler to teen.