Do you have trouble encouraging healthy eating habits in your kids? We have some great tips for you today that can give you new and practical ways to approach the dinner table with your little ones!
Do you ever hear your kids playing in their rooms hours after bed time? Do they dump piles of clean laundry on the floor that you just folded? Or the classic move of wiping their noses across your shirt at just the “right” time?
All of that pales in comparison to the frustration of trying to get your kids to eat healthy. For the most part they will out grow those other frustrations but eating healthy is of lifetime importance. It’s worth the struggle now to pave the way for a healthier future.
My Kids Will Only Eat Junk Food
That may be true but it doesn’t have to be. Believe it or not kids learn how to eat from their parents. Most families eat basically the same thing generation after generation. In other families the parent’s may eat “grown up” food while allowing the kids to eat “kid food.” The good news is it is not too late to turn it around.
3 Tips to Get Your Kids Eating Better
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1. Model Healthy Eating Consistently
Having a salad every once in a while doesn’t count, you have to make healthy food choices on a regular basis. To drive it home talk to your kids about healthy eating and what it looks like. Choose sliced raw veggies and hummus for snack instead of chips and fresh fruit for dessert. Another easy (or not so easy) substitution is replacing soda with water or seltzer, if you like the bubbles. Perhaps the best healthy habit you can implement at home is to have at least one serving of vegetables with dinner every night.
2. Include your Kids in Meal Planning and Preparation
Stop the dinner time debate before it starts by asking for your kids input in your weekly Meal Plan. If you don’t feel comfortable giving them free rein give them choices like “Do you want Spaghetti or Tacos on Wednesday” or “we are having soup this week which kind would you like?” Likewise allow your kids (at an age appropriate level) help make dinner. Maybe they can pour ingredients in a pan or chop veggies. My youngest child is relegated to getting napkins but he gets to choose some of the veggies I use in the meal. He loves broccoli!
3. Ease into Healthy Habits
I’ve found that most kids will gradually adopt healthier habits if it’s not forced on them all at once. Take baby steps and slowly transition to healthier habits. If you wake up tomorrow and tell your kids that they can no longer have sugar you will probably bring on World War III, if instead you say we are going to save desserts for the weekend you may get some push back but it won’t be as significant. Imagine your healthy eating journey looks like a board game. Don’t try to jump ahead, just take it one step at a time. You may not be starting at the same place I am so don’t compare yourself to others. A few baby steps toward healthier eating include:
- Eat oatmeal for breakfast topped with fresh fruit
- Bake homemade muffins instead of store-bought products with mysterious ingredients
- Always keep fruit available for snacks
- Limit or avoid soda
- Let your kids take turns picking the nightly vegetable
Building a Strong Foundation
Like most things with kids, the earlier you start the better off you will be. Don’t let that discourage you though. Older kids have a much greater ability to reason. If they want to be fit, healthy, strong, have clear skin, etc. a healthy diet will make a world of difference.
For more great tips check out my 5 Simple Tricks to Get your Kids to Eat their Veggies and my response when people find out we went from fast food junkies to fruit and veggie eaters in My Kids Won’t Eat That, it also includes 5 tips for introducing new (healthy) foods.
This post was written by Holly Yzquierdo! She blogs at My Plant-Based Family. She encourages families to eat healthy while creating delicious allergy-friendly recipes, Free Weekly Meal Plans and healthy living tips. She lives in Arizona with her family. You can connect with her on Pinterest, Facebook,Twitter, Google+ and Instagram.
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