Oh, hamburger! You’re so tasty, yet so dangerous.
As a parent, you know that eating right is crucial to your kid’s health, but you often find yourself struggling with their picky eating habits.
Don’t tear your hair out to get your kids to consume greens instead of junk food. Patience is the key when trying to develop your kids' taste for nutrient-packed meals.
Try out these simple tips to trick your kids into eating healthy and expand their horizons of taste!
1. Eat what you love, love what you eat: It’s important to model healthy eating habits. Prepare meals that you enjoy eating. Chances are your kids will follow suit when they see you relishing fresh vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods.
2. Start with the small changes: Use whole grain instead of white bread. Replace your regular white pasta with wheat, spinach or carrot pasta. Substitute butter with flaxseed oil. Your kids likely won’t notice these small adjustments to their favourite foods.
3. Prepare meals with your kid’s help: Take your kids grocery shopping. Ask them to pick the veggies out of the garden. Let them do simple kitchen chores, like washing the fruits and vegetables, whipping up the eggs or grating the cheese. Don’t forget to acknowledge your child’s efforts during meal time prep.
4. Dip n’ dunk: Dips tempt kids into eating healthy finger foods. Try salsa, hummus, baba ghanoush, vanilla yogurt, peanut butter or bean dips with bite-sized slices of fruits, broccoli florets, celery and carrot sticks and whole grain bread.
5. Make it a colourful affair: Fill the plate with a variety of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables to keep your kids visually stimulated.
6. Make strategic compromises: Be strategic when it comes to fulfilling your kids’ demands for junk food. Buy them a hamburger or hot dog and serve it with a side of veggies instead of fries. Encourage them to snack on dried fruits with their chips.
7. Hide n’ sneak: Add bran or shredded zucchini to your kid’s favourite muffins. Sneak some broccoli in macaroni and cheese. Hide chickpeas in chili. Blend baby spinach or kale into a blueberry smoothie. Your kids will get all the required vitamins and minerals without even noticing.
Remember, coercion is not the right way to ensure your kids are eating right. You need to be persistent, not pushy. Give them time to develop a palette for nutrient-dense foods. Educate them. Be creative. Learn fun ways to serve them a healthy platter. Because you just don’t want your kids to eat right, you want them to love healthy food!
Check out these online resources for more tips:
HowStuffWorks
Parenting Squad
EatingWell
As a parent, you know that eating right is crucial to your kid’s health, but you often find yourself struggling with their picky eating habits.
Don’t tear your hair out to get your kids to consume greens instead of junk food. Patience is the key when trying to develop your kids' taste for nutrient-packed meals.
Try out these simple tips to trick your kids into eating healthy and expand their horizons of taste!
1. Eat what you love, love what you eat: It’s important to model healthy eating habits. Prepare meals that you enjoy eating. Chances are your kids will follow suit when they see you relishing fresh vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods.
2. Start with the small changes: Use whole grain instead of white bread. Replace your regular white pasta with wheat, spinach or carrot pasta. Substitute butter with flaxseed oil. Your kids likely won’t notice these small adjustments to their favourite foods.
3. Prepare meals with your kid’s help: Take your kids grocery shopping. Ask them to pick the veggies out of the garden. Let them do simple kitchen chores, like washing the fruits and vegetables, whipping up the eggs or grating the cheese. Don’t forget to acknowledge your child’s efforts during meal time prep.
4. Dip n’ dunk: Dips tempt kids into eating healthy finger foods. Try salsa, hummus, baba ghanoush, vanilla yogurt, peanut butter or bean dips with bite-sized slices of fruits, broccoli florets, celery and carrot sticks and whole grain bread.
5. Make it a colourful affair: Fill the plate with a variety of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables to keep your kids visually stimulated.
6. Make strategic compromises: Be strategic when it comes to fulfilling your kids’ demands for junk food. Buy them a hamburger or hot dog and serve it with a side of veggies instead of fries. Encourage them to snack on dried fruits with their chips.
7. Hide n’ sneak: Add bran or shredded zucchini to your kid’s favourite muffins. Sneak some broccoli in macaroni and cheese. Hide chickpeas in chili. Blend baby spinach or kale into a blueberry smoothie. Your kids will get all the required vitamins and minerals without even noticing.
Remember, coercion is not the right way to ensure your kids are eating right. You need to be persistent, not pushy. Give them time to develop a palette for nutrient-dense foods. Educate them. Be creative. Learn fun ways to serve them a healthy platter. Because you just don’t want your kids to eat right, you want them to love healthy food!
Check out these online resources for more tips:
HowStuffWorks
Parenting Squad
EatingWell
