When your kids refuse to eat the things that would be most healthy for them, it can be very upsetting and dinnertime can become the worst part of the day. You want to do the best for your kids, but they just won’t eat those veggies or try that new fruit and it can become very frustrating indeed.
Luckily, for most kids, it’s a matter of time and perseverance; if you keep offering them the good stuff they will eventually eat. A small number will need more professional help to improve their diets of course, but for the most part, you can help them along by not giving up, and often, you will find that the below tips can be very useful too:
Offer a choice
It seems so simple, but often if you give your children a choice between two healthy alternatives, it makes them feel like they have power and control over their diets, and they are more likely to eat one of the foods you have offered them after all. The more you can make them feel like eating healthy is their own idea, the more likely they are to do it - it really is that simple.
Hide it
On those days when you’re really frustrated and nothing else is working, the easiest way to get some good stuff into your kids is by hiding it. Blending things like carrots and courgettes into a tomato sauce so they are indistinguishable is a good idea, but you can also sneak goodness into sweet treats too. For example, these cowboy cookies from Preppy Kitchen already contain fibrous shredded coconut and healthy pecans, which will get some nutrients in your kids without them even noticing them but you could make them even healthier by adding little dried fruit too, The more hidden the nutrients are, the more likely the kids are to eat them!
Let them help you
If you let your kid help you prepare your favorite healthy recipes, they are more likely to want to taste their handiwork! Kids feel pride just like everyone else, so if they can take pride in preparing a delicious meal, they are obviously going to want to taste it and tell everyone how great it is too!
Make smarter snack choices
Switching to wholegrain crackers or replacing greasy chips with healthy wholegrain popcorn is unlikely to cause a stir but it will mean more nutrients for your kids as they happily much what they consider to be a real treat.
Set an example
Of course, the best way to get your kids to eat healthily is to do so yourself. Simply sit down, eat a healthy meal, and don’t make a big deal of it, and before you know it, they quill be doing the same too. Whereas, if they see you eating junk day after day, you can hardly expect them to eat their broccoli!
Getting your kids to eat well can be tricky, but by putting these ideas into action, it doesn’t have to be a complete nightmare!
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