One of the greatest challenges of parenthood is getting your children
to regularly consume and enjoy healthy foods. Indeed, children these
days are literally bombarded with endless advertisements for cookies,
candy, and other unhealthy foods that are strongly linked to childhood
obesity; children are also subject to enormous amounts of peer pressure
to indulge in snacks and treats from brands such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Pepsi, and the like.
There are, however, techniques, strategies, and good old dirty tricks
that can be used to get your child to enjoy wholesome foods and to
develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Take the time to make homemade meals.
In the modern day and age, we are all extremely busy- many of us to the
point that we just don’t have the time or energy to prepare a homemade
meal at the end of the day.
However, such behavior makes an
incredibly strong mark on children, who form most of their dietary
habits before the age of 12; there is overwhelming scientific evidence
showing that if parents have a bad diet and are overweight, their
child’s chances of following suite rise dramatically.
In order
to counter this trend it is important to take the time to make wholesome
homemade meals, even if you only have the time to do so a couple days a
week. The meals could be as simple as grilled chicken with vegetables
or as complex as spinach stuffed ravioli, but either will do- remember,
your cooking habits make a much larger impression on your child than you
might think.
Get your child involved in cooking
A sure fire way
to get your child to eat healthy food is to find out what they like and
how they like it prepared. Involve them in the entire process of
cooking, from making the shopping list, selecting ingredients, and, of
course, the preparation of the dish itself. While little ones will be
more comfortable with simple dishes such as pasta with vegetable sauce
or fruit salad, try to encourage older children to experiment with their
favorite ingredients and styles of food.
Fruit is nature’s candy
Most children love to nosh on pieces of apple, handfuls of grapes, and the like- use this to your advantage.
Instead of packing chips, crackers, or soda into your child’s lunch
bag, give them packets of precut apples, oranges, sliced bananas, and
the like; if they need extra incentive, pack a small container of
caramel or melted chocolate to dip the fruit in. Also keep precut fruits
and vegetables ready to go in the fridge for snack time- again, if your
child needs extra incentive (such as caramel or ranch style dressing
for dipping), provide it in small amounts rather than letting them
choose how much is appropriate for the size of the snack they are
having.