Kids Food

Tips for getting your child to eat healthy

Getting your kids to eat healthy foods can be a challenge, to say the least. Here are some tips to help you win the battle:

• Start early. Introduce as many flavors and textures as possible when you wean them onto baby food.
• Do a PR job. "Sell" fruit as a dessert before your children get hooked on the idea of cakes and sweets as dessert. For example, try saying, "Mmmmmm. Mummy has got such a lovely mango for you today when you have eaten all your lunch." This really works. My two see fruit as a real treat!

• Pretend your children have never rejected a vegetable in their lives. Keep putting things on their plate that you know they are unlikely to eat. Casually suggest they try it. If they won’t try it, don’t react. If they do, give them lots of praise. This can be terribly disheartening, but trust me, persevering means that one day, the child will give in and try it. I got my son to start eating cucumber after putting it on his plate approximately 20 times. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.
• Go stealth. Hide vegetables. If they’ll eat Bolognese sauce, lasagna, curry - in fact anything sauce- or soup-based - grate carrots into it. Chop up mushrooms and peppers really, really small and throw them in. If they really like pasta, you’re onto a winner. Whizz up all sorts of vegetable concoctions, stir just a teaspoon or two into pasta, pile on lots of cheese, and they won’t even notice it.
• Make your own burgers with mince, onion and grated apple.
• Get creative; think laterally. My daughter won’t eat my beef casserole on its own, but if I mix a spoonful of it into a jacket potato, she’ll eat it with enthusiasm.
• Remember that no matter how much they won’t eat, they will always surprise you. My daughter, at 18 months, swiped an entire corn on the cob from my plate at a restaurant and happily chomped her way through it. I had never offered it to her because I just assumed she wouldn’t like it. Never underestimate your children’s tastes!
• Mash or slice banana into their breakfast cereal. Or, grate some apple in.
• Be discerning about convenient "snacks". Cubes of plain cheese are much less processed than the brands marketed for lunch boxes. Choose yogurt-coated fruit or raisins as a "treat" instead of sweets, and rice cakes or a handful of seeds / nuts instead of chips.
• Use "tricks." The right reinforcement can work wonders. My son loves a particular children’s TV program in which the lead character is very active and needs ""sports candy"" to give him energy. "Sports candy" is actually apples, and my son happily chomps through at least two a day. Also, if I tell him that one of his best friends’ favorite food is broccoli, he’s much more likely to try it. It’s even better if I can get the aforementioned friend to join us for lunch and eat the broccoli with him.
• Get them involved. It’s pretty easy to grow things like tomatoes in the garden, and they’ll enjoy watering and picking them.
• Bribe them. OK, we’re onto desperate measures now. Bribing ("If you eat all your lunch, you can have x or y.") works short term, but use it carefully and sparingly.

If all else fails, try not to worry. Also try not to get into big battles; it’ll convince your child that this eating thing is a horrible process. Keep in mind that with children, most things are phases and will pass. Just keep on offering healthy options. Let them see you eating and enjoying healthy stuff. Relax - life as a parent is full of worry as it is. And let’s face it, when they’re teenagers, they’ll spend all their pocket money on sugar-laden sweets and fatty chips, and we probably won’t even know about it!

Sigh.

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I recognize all of the assets involved with cooking with children. Starting at an early age, my children would be involved with obtaining the food, the preparation and enjoying the meal at a family dinner table. With homemade picture/word shopping lists, my children played an active role in our supermarket outing. We would explore the produce section for vegetables or fruit we had never tasted before. Meal preparation consisted of snapping string beans, tearing spinach, cutting cheeses with dull knives, measuring, mixing and lots of tasting. I never let them near heat sources or hot cookware (I think their first heat experience was helping me flip pancakes at 9 or 10). They have tried foods that many adults would not eat, and have developed very diverse palates. Now that my daughter is 11 and my son is 15, they will prepare entire meals for the family or discover new ones for me to try. mindy@recipestoreading.com

Posted on 6/16/2009 3:10:00 PM by Anonymous

Some good meals here

Posted on 5/5/2009 4:01:00 PM by Anonymous

The show you were talking about in the third last point isLazytown. I thoguht it was funny how I knoew the show you were talking about. And i find that the show really helps because its a positvie show.

Posted on 4/23/2009 6:27:00 PM by Anonymous

Oreo Mini Cakesters are HEALTHY ??!!!!! It's terrible that these are the "healthy snacks" being promoted! Portion control okay. Ingredients in these are anything but considered healthy. The only place they might be considered "healthy" is the profit margins for Nabisco.

Posted on 3/3/2009 11:32:00 AM by Anonymous

let your kidz help u cook, they will always try somthing they cook themselfs. If all els fails tell them who ever dont eat whats on there plat has to clean the kitchen.

Posted on 1/4/2009 3:38:00 PM by Anonymous

To Anonymous - It's especially hard when you have another parent working against you. Teach by example. Eat lots of veggies and fruits yourself. Have yogurt handy. Yogurt mixed with Cherrios is really good and most kids like it. Fat Free Caramel Dip with fruits is good. You can steam fresh cauliflower, puree it and mix a little with mac & cheese. Most kids can't taste it. I have a great recipe for meatloaf that I use pureed carrots and oats in. My kids love it. Other dips such as low fat ranch is good encouragement for veggies too. Most of all, as a once heavy child myself, don't dwell on it. Don't draw attention to it. Don't turn it into a battle or a power struggle between you and your child. Offer good food and a healthy snack and encourage and praise a lot when your child makes good choices. Don't allow TV until outside play has happened and don't allow any food with TV except for things like apple slices, grapes, raw carrots and celery with small amount of peanut butter. Just a few suggestions but maybe they will help.

Posted on 1/4/2009 1:58:00 PM by Anonymous

From early on I served "apple cookies"... that was a slice of apple (not a wedge) shaped like a cookie. It was my son's favorite "cookie". The words "cookie" and "candy" are magic, but you can use them to your advantage. You have to start this game early, though. Another popular all-age healthy treat... if you have a microwave and like apple pie, cut up one large or two small apples. You can leave the skin on. Put the pieces in a bowl and set a small plate on top to keep the steam in. Microwave for 2 or 2 and a half minutes. Take it out with pot-holders. Sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon and just a dash of stevia powder, a natural herb that imparts sweetness without calories. Go light on the stevia because too much gives the dish a metallic taste. (If you don't have stevia, never mind; the apple has its own sweetness.) I couldn't believe how delicious this dish was... satisfies my sweet tooth and fills me up.

Posted on 12/11/2008 2:39:00 PM by Anonymous

My 4 year old grandson loves veggies and fruit, but will not eat much else. He is small. How do you get him to eat other foods. He needs a few higher calorie foods, because he is under weight.

Posted on 11/6/2008 8:59:00 PM by Anonymous

For the last month or so, my 5 y/o son refuses to eat, he is not sick, runs around and act as always. I tryed everything, including that he will eat when he is hungry, but he doesn't, all he asks for is water or juice and bread, I don't know what else to do. Please help

Posted on 10/21/2008 1:44:00 PM by Anonymous

Try adding finely graded carrots to the turkey meatballs. I also make my children fresh smoothies with frozen strawberries, a banana, frozen blueberries, orange juice. I've also been able to throw a ripe avocado in without them knowing. You can make it with just bananas, yogurt and orange juice to start out. I have 5 children who are also thin. Active kids are not going to starve themselves. It's just they way some kids are and unless your doctor is overly concerned don't make yourself crazy about it.

Posted on 10/21/2008 11:02:00 AM by Anonymous

well i used to be picky about certan foods 2..... mabye you should try bying his fovorit candy and say if he finnishes a certian amout then he can have the candy :)

Posted on 10/16/2008 7:30:00 PM by Anonymous

I have a three year old who has been served steamed carrots and broccoli since she began eating solids. I lead her into eating the broccoli by singing a little ditty with her, "Broccoli -broccoli - I love broccoli." Then we toast a head and say, "Cheers!" and then we BOTH eat one. until they are all gone Not that I love broccoli but they are good for me and especially her and my parenting psyche. Now her little sister is getting into the game. best of luck - Holly

Posted on 7/26/2008 1:34:00 AM by Anonymous

The human brain is particularly susceptible to the effects of poor nutrition during the early years of development, and most preschool diets are either average or impoverished.[1] Young brains need many nutrients for learning. Food additives and Deficiencies in some nutrients ... http://kidzense.blogspot.com/2008/06/nutrition-and-your-toddler.html

Posted on 7/8/2008 11:36:00 PM by Anonymous

Thank you for the great ideas to get my kids to eat veggies.

Posted on 6/9/2008 10:04:00 PM by Anonymous

I enjoy veggies alot- they rock, and I'm only 12!!!! Go me!

Posted on 6/8/2008 5:04:00 PM by Anonymous

I am 19 and was really picky untill my mom let me go to the store down the street when i was 12. Once a week I went to the store, bought 3 different vegatables and chose 1 candy. When I got home, I tried each of the 3 vegatables for dinner and if I tried all three without complaining, I was allowed to have the candy that I chose at the store for desert.

Posted on 5/4/2008 1:43:00 PM by Anonymous

my son will not try anything he will eat yogurt chiken nuggets hot dogs bannanas and turkey meatball that is it. he refuses to try anything new and he is very skinney only in the 25% weight im desperate i do not what to do please help

Posted on 1/2/2008 9:33:00 PM by Anonymous