3 Easy Ways to Help Your Child Eat Healthier
Whether you are a parent or a grandparent, getting your child to eat healthy can be a daily challenge. Especially when you have a picky fussy eater at the table. Believe me – we have a house full of picky eaters.
I do my best to have the healthiest food choices available when my grandchildren come to stay for the weekend. My good intentions are met most of the time with the “YUCK” syndrome. So, I understand your challenge of finding the right balance of providing healthier food choices for your little ones.
From the local drive-thru to school lunches, there are not many healthy options available outside of the home. This is why it’s so important for you to take steps to provide the healthiest food choices for your children.
I know, that’s easier said than done. We can ask them what they like and go from there, but their choices are not always on the healthiest choice.
“How do I encourage my child to eat healthy?”
is a question I often get from my busy mom clients. You may have asked the same question.
If so, here’s 3 ways you can help your child eat healthy…
Encourage them to help you
Even the youngest toddler enjoys helping in the kitchen. Get them involved in helping you plan this week’s menu. Allow them to choose from a list of healthy choices and then compliment them on their choice.
Let them help you at the grocery store, giving them the option to choose the vegetables for the week from the produce market. Take them to the Farmer’s Market and let them talk to the vendors about the different produce available.
Plant a small vegetable garden or window garden and allow them to take care of the plants. I have found this to be a fantastic way to entice them to eat their vegetables. They enjoy knowing that this is something they grew, took care of and picked.
Healthy Snacks
This is where I have had to use the trial and error method. One afternoon I set up a cheese and grape tray for them to snack on during their playtime. Surely they would enjoy these snacks. Yeah – right. They ate some cheese, but never touched the grapes.
Apples and nut butter, grapes, cheese, veggie sticks, nuts, or various fruits are just a few healthy snack options you can have for your children.
When you don’t have the sugary or salty processed snacks in the pantry, then they have to snack on healthier foods.
Mine enjoy helping me make their snacks. We make our own trail mix and no bake cookies using natural ingredients. They know that when they come to grandma’s they get to make their snacks. Pinterest has more recipes than you’ll ever be able to use. Sit down with your children and choose some to make this weekend.
Mealtimes Together
We are so busy that we may rarely eat our meals together. Eating together is so important to encourage healthier eating habits. Make mealtimes a pleasant experience by turning the TV off and putting all electronics away. This is the time to share your day with each other, which is so important with your older children.
Your children will mimic what they see their parents do. So, how are you spending your mealtimes?
Don’t make it about “clean you plate” time, but make it about “let’s try this together” time. You can always introduce new food items as a challenge and enjoy the fun of each one’s reaction to trying something new. Get creative with introducing healthier food choices, especially if this is new for you.
Healthy lunches is one area that you may find challenging. With 5 grandchildren of my own, I wanted to give them healthier lunch options. I created this little recipe book and want to give you a copy for FREE. Download you copy today to make lunchtime enjoyable.
How have you encouraged your children or grandchildren to eat healthier? Share your tips with us in our Facebook members group Healthy Living for Life. I’m always looking for new ideas.