It’s a full time job just getting your child to eat healthy. More often than not I plan their daily menu, because it’s important that my children learn healthy habits now. There are times when I find myself making a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, not only because I want everyone to eat but because I know how important it is for them ‘to’ eat well at this stage on account that their minds and bodies are growing at such a rapid rate and they need the nutrition. More importantly, I do it because they have individual taste and I understand that. Vitamins are also an important part of that, because they don’t always eat everything given to them and if you have a picky eater in the family it is especially important, because they do need that extra boost.
First and foremost, I find that it is helpful to have a planned menu.
Be an example. As we all know, our children learn by example, so if we eat healthy they too will eat healthy too.
When shopping, make sure you choose the healthy foods over the unhealthy ones. Like most people, I like snack foods and if I feel like a bag of chips, the moment I reach out for it I ask myself what’s a healthier choice? Pretzels or yogurt are usually my next best option. For the most part I usually avoid the snack food isle.
We do have treats in our home, but I make sure that they are healthy treats. I have learned to also do the same when I bake or cook. If I am using a recipe to make a meal or even a treat and it requires a reasonable amount of oil or sugar, I make an effort to reduce it by 20, 30 percent or more or maybe substitute the unhealthy ingredient for a healthy ingredient. I also puree veggies often, so it does become an easy substitute. After having children this has become second nature.
One of my daily practices is to let my toddlers know that if they do not eat the meal before them, then they won’t get the treat they want, juice included. Therefore, deny or refuse to give them the treats they want if they do not eat well.
More importantly I find that making them a part of the cooking process and in planning the daily menu, is essential to how well they eat. Primarily because they see how the food is prepared and due to the fact that they are an important part of the food preparation process.