Tips to get Kids to Eat Healthier

5 Tips to get Kids to Eat Healthier

What is more frustrating than making that special meal for your loved ones and the youngest members of the family won’t take a single bite? More humiliating even when that deliciousness lands on the floor with no reason whatsoever. Does this sound familiar or are you blessed with a kid that happily eats their healthy dinner that you cooked up. Perhaps these tips are worth a try to get your kids to eat healthier.

Tip #1 Make healthy food fun.

Cut, slice, mix, grate, blend or spiral fruit and veggies in creative forms such as a smiley face (stay optimistic). Get their interest by creating various forms from rectangular carrot sticks, rounds of cucumber, a cheese cube or use a cookie cutter to carve out their favourite animal. Place a variety of colourful vegetables on a skewer. You can also pick a theme such a making a rainbow of fruit and vegetables.

Tip #2 Hide vegetables.

This is probably my favourite trick to get some vegetables into my 2-year old. Mmmm that banana-….. muffin. Really? Yes, that banana with grated beet muffin just happens to look a bit rosy, but it tastes like banana. How about muffins made of carrot and cranberry or cheese and courgette? Savoury dishes in the oven also work well when adding extra vegetables to the sauce. Before pouring the sauce into the oven dish as with lasagne or quiche, I blend a pepper or some steamed greens and add it to the sauce. Which pepper are you talking about?

Tip #3 Get your kids involved with meal prep.

When your kids see how a meal is prepared and they are part of it, it is often way more interesting for them to eat it afterwards. Use a variety of ingredients and tools to prepare a meal. Think of a mixer, food processor, blender, oven or steamer. If you have a garden and space to grow fruit and vegetables, let your kid take care of it where possible. Let them plant the seeds or pick the fruit out the garden.

Tip #4 Don’t eliminate all the treats.

Focus on meals that have a proper balance between good quality protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates but don’t take away their treat al together. Be creative here as well in using dates, almond- or hazelnut-raisin butter, seeds, coconut flakes and cacao nibs to concoct a sweet and tasty energy bar.

Tip #5 Don’t pay too much attention to what is left on your kids plate.

A well-known saying from Aristotle is: Everything you give attention, grows. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to mealtimes with our kids. The more focus on what they eat (or don’t), the bigger an issue it becomes for parent and child. It gives the child a power during meal times, as we can never force someone to eat something. In sum, where you can be creative to prepare a healthy meal, involve them and don’t be too strict. Above all enjoy your own meal and the rest is out of your hands!