Children can be picky eaters, but often it is a phase they will outgrow with time. In the meantime, parents need to find ways to encourage their children to eat healthier foods. Here are some things you can do as a parent to get your child to eat healthier for more nutrients.
Involve Them in the Food Preparation Process
Cooking with your children gives them a sense of responsibility for the meal. Therefore they will be more willing to try it since they helped prepare it. For example, your children can chop the vegetables or decide which spices need to go into a dish. Sometimes, you can also introduce technical cooking skills to older children, such as the right way to gut a fish or how to stuff a chicken. I have been cooking and baking with my children for years and it teaches them so many things as well as encourages them to try new flavors.
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Talk to Them about the Importance of Healthy Meals
As a parent, talk to your children about the importance of healthy eating. These discussions could include enlightening your child on the healthy lifestyle benefits and ensuring they’re eating healthy too when possible. My oldest always wants to know why a certain food is considered healthy. So we talk a lot about what nutrients foods contain and how they help your body stay healthy. Furthermore, you should be a good role model and eat nutritious foods frequently.
Encourage Family Mealtimes
Encourage family mealtimes because if children and parents have a meal together, they get a chance to talk about their lives to each other. Also, family dinners offer families the opportunity to connect while parents simultaneously set good examples of healthy eating habits in front of the kids. We try to have a dinner together every night and talk about our Happy, Hard, and Helpful aspects of our day. It’s a great conversation starter for kids! Ultimately, your children will carry on this practice into adulthood. So, instead of eating snacks, they will have a full course meal- which is healthier.
Lead by Example
As parents, it is crucial to be the leader of the healthy lifestyle journey. If you want the child to eat healthier and get more nutrients for their body, so should you. Leading by example will show your children that a healthy lifestyle isn’t another chore but a lifestyle they will enjoy too! My daughters and I take daily walks and sometimes they come with me on runs (in a stroller or riding a bike though). Ultimately, it’s not about depriving them of all the junk food, but rather showing them that there is a way to eat healthier and still have some of the treats.
Serve a Variety of Snacks and Healthy Foods
Please introduce your children to different cuisines to get them interested in eating healthy. Variety ensures your kids are willing to try something new and different. Moreover, provide excitement into their lives by serving snacks, fruits, vegetables, protein-rich food, and carbohydrates interchangeably. Exposure also means letting go of the strict rules around junk food. Instead, encourage your kids to have a limit, and be aware that this isn’t something you want them consuming every single day or in their leisure time. Preferably, provide other alternatives such as desserts made of healthier ingredients using less sugar and butter or fruits.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these ideas will help you to encourage your children to eat healthier. Please remember that the key is to give them exposure to different cuisines so that they are inclined to try new foods. Even just starting off with one bite of a new food is good! As a parent, you should also lead by example, and openly discuss why it’s essential for kids to eat healthily, and encourage family time together around mealtimes. There are many ways parents can get their child on board with eating better–find what works best for your family today!
