I have two boys and one of them is a picky eater. Did I say picky eater? I meant a I’m-not-going-to-eat-anything-decent-even-if-you-pay-me kinda eater. I know, I tried to pay him once. It did not work.
My oldest son has multiple food allergies that are life threatening, he’s had them since birth which has managed to give him a negative vibe when it comes to trying new things. I don’t blame him. After getting sick myself last year, I have been on a very restrictive diet and I’ve given up a lot of things that I probably didn’t have to give up just in the name of not wanting to get sick again.
While I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting my son to overcome his fear of food and try to eat more fruits and vegetables has been an uphill battle. I decided to get a bit more creative and thought I’d share a few ideas with you. If you have any tips to share, be sure to post them!
5 Ways to Help Kids Eat Healthy
1. Give Kids a Choice: I finally landed at the point of telling my children that they are going to be eating healthier foods. I then give them the choice of picking out what those foods are or I’ll do it for them. Ultimately, when they know they’re going to have to eat it, they choose what they like to eat. The only unfortunate thing about this is that they stick with their favorites rather than branching out.
2. Keep It Ready: Once you get home from the store or co-op, be sure to wash and prepare your fruits and veggies. If you have a washed bowl of strawberries, grapes, etc waiting then it will be easy to reach for those when you or your children are in need of a snack. Most of the time we reach for things like chips or cookies simply out of convenience.
3. Lead by Example: If you’re eating unhealthy, your kids will too. That’s just the way it is, we have to set the example as parents. The local co-op I use in my area recently went up for sale, I had already thought that the business would be amazing to combine with Money Saving Queen and our efforts to help people eat healthy and save money. However, the thing that threw me over the edge and ultimately led to my final decision to purchase the business was how much my son enjoyed volunteering. I took him to one of the sales and all he could talk about was the produce, he thought it was amazing that other children were eating some of the produce right out of the basket and he loved being able to help load it up for people.
Once we got home, he actually tried almost everything that was in our basket. Win! He now openly talks about trying new produce and what the different tastes are and that’s a big deal.
4. Get Creative: Use recipes that incorporate fruits and veggies that don’t taste like your front yard. Seriously. This recipe for Blueberry & Spinach Waffles is delcious and no one would ever suspect a thing!
5. Plan Your Menu: I talk about this often when I’m teaching people how to save money but it is also important for introducing new things. Plan your menu around what is on sale, coupons and your stockpile then be sure to include a new fruit or veggie and have a rule where your children must try at least one bite of the new item. No snacks, no desserts, they have to try the new item and soon they’ll find some new favorites.
The key is to obviously being incorporating good fruits and vegetables that you and your children will enjoy. Keep it fun and interesting and you might find your kids picking them for you. There’s always that certain toddler age that won’t cooperate well, I think as parents we have to give a little bit of grace during certain times of development but, if those foods are a normal part of your child’s day to day life, you will find much less opposition.
I’ll admit, I did not lead by example in this area. I have made major lifestyle adjustments and we’ve made major dietary adjustments in our house. Now, my kids know that our bodies thrive on good nutrition. We’ve started a new habit in this house of eating healthy and we’re going to keep it up!
Get creative! For more ideas, recipes and tips please visit ShapeYourFutureOk.com.
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