Getting your kids to enjoy healthy food can be fun. It doesn’t have to be a drag, and it doesn’t have to end with kids pushing away the plates and refusing to eat the smallest broccoli in the world.
It does require a few HACKS from moms that learned their tricks the hard way. The great news is that you don’t have to go through all that trouble – just take some time off, read all the steps below and get enthusiastic about the process because it’s going to be FUN!
Step #1: Grocery shopping companions
It all starts in the grocery shop. Let them know that you need some help and make them feel like they are doing you a huge favor. Now, once you get there; try playing a sorting game by grouping various fruits and vegetables by different categories – color, taste, texture…
Let them choose produce for you and when you get home, if they are old enough, allow them to cut up fruits and mix them into a salad. It’s more than likely that they’ll eat the salad right way – it’s because you made it together.
Step #2: A healthy food in disguise
Plating is the most creative part of the process! You can make smiley-face pancakes, an apple owl, or a bagel bunny.
And you’ll be surprised how easy it is to prepare those meals, but even more surprised with the result; your kids will enjoy the meal. Even broccoli!
You can also try naming the foods with silly names like dinosaur stakes, or baby trees. Don’t worry, whatever awakes their vivid imagination will do just fine.
If you don’t have time to learn those recipes now, you can always add vegetables to a beef stew or mash carrots up with a mashed potato. It’s fast, convenient and healthy.
Step #3: How on earth can you convince your child to eat a Kale salad?
Don’t tell anyone where you heard this but…white lies are okay and a little hero worship can work wonders.
Next time your kids refuse to eat something leafy, try telling them that their favorite actor, cartoon character or a hero of any kind, eat that food all the time.
And if that doesn’t do the trick…
Step #4: Dip it
This tip is astonishingly simple but yet so effective – if your kids don’t like vegetables, experiment with dips.
Cut a carrot into itsy bitsy slices and make some dressing from salsa, yogurt or hummus. Ask them what kind of dip they like the most and make sure it tastes delicious. If you manage to do so, it doesn’t really matter what vegetables you use – they’ll love it.
Step #5: Games!
Eating together as a family is always a good idea. If your picky eater still refuses the veggies, this step will do the trick. Why? Kids love to play games!
Try preparing several foods for your child to taste while blindfolded. The goal is to identify each food and to make your kid describe what he or she tastes – is the food salty, sweet or savor? What’s the texture like? Remember to ask as many questions as you can.
You can also talk about where foods come from and tell stories about exotic countries and animals that live there.
You can even visit a farm to explore where foods come from or plant your own vegetable together. Whatever you do, make sure you enjoy it; your kid will pick up on this.
It’s time to celebrate results together
What happens next? Your kids create the healthiest habits that will not only make you a proud parent, but it will also help them build a strong willpower and a stable foundation for their future decision making.
And you know what the best part is? All the ways you can encourage them to enjoy a healthy lifestyle will be FUN for you too, so it’s more than likely that your family members will bond even more.
It’s always a good time to make positive changes in life, right? Let’s start the process!
