A healthy diet is important throughout your life, but early on, balanced, nutritious meals are particularly important. The only problem is, kids can be picky- really picky. And as adults, we are perpetually trying to think of creative ways to get them to eat more healthy foods. While no one eats “perfectly,” and foods like sugary sweets are okay in moderation, a diet based on nutrient-rich foods can promote physical and mental health while helping your child feel energized and in overall positive moods. According to the CDC, empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age 2–18 years. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk. Here are 10 easy ways to get your kids to eat more healthy food:
- Set a good example: As a parent, if you demonstrate a healthy relationship with food, kids will mimic your behavior. Examples are eating breakfast every morning and eating fresh foods and vegetables. A study about what influences children eating behavior Illustrated that “Children also learn about food by observing the eating behaviours modeled by others. For example, research reveals that children’s intake of fruits, vegetables, and milk increased after observing adults consuming the foods.”
- Be Neutral: This does not mean letting your kids eat whatever they want, but instead giving them some healthy options so that it will teach them to make good choices. By staying neutral and not rewarding or scolding your kids for their food choices, your children are more likely to develop and maintain a positive attitude towards food long term.
- Sit and eat together: Make it a habit to sit and eat together as a family. Create a positive environment as you build healthy eating habits. Make it a family style dinner to encourage a variety of foods and keep screens away from the dinner table and join in on conversations. This study found that “Children and adolescents who share family meals 3 or more times per week are more likely to be in a normal weight range and have healthier dietary and eating patterns than those who share fewer than 3 family meals together.”
- Add Fruits and Vegetables to existing favorites: This is a great way to merge their favorite foods with something new. A simple example would be adding fresh fruits to their favorite cereal, whole grain pancakes, and yogurt.
- Substitute unhealthy snacks for other alternatives: Explain to kids that cookies and candy taste good but they can make your body feel bad. Then give them examples and demonstrations of other snacks that are healthier and also delicious.A study found that “Cognitive development is paralleled by changes in the importance given to the attributes that determine whether a child likes or dislikes fruits and vegetables.”
- Get the kids involved and cook with them: Kids will be more interested in healthy meals if they help plan and prepare them. So take this opportunity to get your kids to start brainstorming about tasty, healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. A study confirmed that involving children in meal preparation can increase vegetable intake. It also found that encouraging parents to involve their children in the preparation of healthy and balanced meals could be a valuable intervention strategy to improve the diets and vegetable intake of children.
- Educate your kids: Healthy eating is something that has to be learned, so take some time to explain to your kids why certain foods are healthier for them and why others should only be eaten on special occasions. To get to them even further, find a video or someone they admire talking about healthy foods. A study determined that using messages about the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables significantly increased children’s fruit and vegetable intake.
- Teach them to read labels: The first step to getting your child to choose more nutritious options is to understand what a healthy relationship with food looks like. You can find out what’s in your foods by looking at the ingredient list. A study demonstrated the idea that kids need to have a better understanding of nutrition because “when children were offered the choice between fruit or sugar-sweetened snacks, flavored-salty snacks or less processed/unflavored grain snacks, they almost never selected fruit.”
- Don’t give up: Children need to have multiple opportunities to learn how to choose healthier options. Always include a small serving of vegetables on your child’s plate. Also try to avoid making alternative options to the meal you have prepared. These ideas were demonstrated in a study that explained if children are to learn to prefer and select healthy foods, they need early, positive, repeated experiences with those foods.
- Keep it fun and exciting: Find different ways to make food choices fun and exciting. Try hosting different types of dinner parties and if your family does pizza night maybe you guys could make homemade pizza with a cauliflower crust and some vegetables instead of ordering in.
