Getting your child to eat healthy is often a struggle, especially during the ages of the terrible twos when children start forming very strong preferences. Also, kids nowadays are exposed to so many advertisements on junk food that it completely undermines all efforts to make them eat healthy food. Is there any other way to get them to eat healthily without resorting to force, tears and a lot of heartache?
Fortunately there are simple ways to do this. Here are some of them:
- Engage your child in active play. Fun activities like ball games, biking, especially swimming, and others are great ways to get your kid to exercise and build up an appetite. The simple logic is that when the body exhausts all stored up energy, it needs to replenish by resting and EATING!
- Save containers from pre-packaged food and reuse them. I once filled an instant-noodles-cup with a healthier version using fresh vegetables and whole wheat noodles. It looked exactly like the picture on the cup. My son never knew the difference and actually asked me to buy more.
- Allow no distractions during eating time. Turn off the TV, PC, PSP and whatever acronyms that could steal your youngster’s attention from his meal.
- Slip a hated food item into favorites. Broccoli can be camouflaged in pizza, and spaghetti sauce can conceal nearly anything if pureed, grated or mashed. Imagination is the limit.
- Presentation is key. If the food looks good then it must taste good, right? Use decorative cutters in animal or flower shapes. Learn how to make Japanese bento. It may look painstaking but some are surprisingly easy. The ingredients are common, simple, and most importantly – healthy.
- Studies note that children need to be exposed to a new food item as many as 7 to 10 times before they actually try them. So even though the kids won’t eat fish it doesn’t mean you should stop serving it. Let them see you eat and enjoy it. Also leave fruit or graham crackers lying out on the table or kitchen counter. When your small ones get hungry they know where to find them.
- Substitute fresh for pre-packaged food. In order for your tots to get more vitamins and minerals always buy fresh and avoid whenever possible pre-packaged food that’s loaded with preservatives.
- Fortified or supplemental foods aren’t always best. The purpose of these is to fill a gap in the recommended nutrient intake. If your youngster is already receiving the recommended amount, it just gets wasted by being flushed out of the body, or it may cause harm. Get nutrients from the original source if you can.
- Allow for the occasional fast-food urge. Burgers do have nutritional value too and are satisfying as a meal. It’s okay to eat fast-food, albeit, every once in a while.
- Remember to read labels carefully. Always check for safe ingredients, allergen information and portion sizes. For your child’s health and wellbeing, a couple of minutes for a glance through before buying anything are worth it.