Seven ways to get your kids to eat better

Getting your kids to eat well can be a difficult task. It seems that they’d much rather live on snacks and a few foods that they love whether it’s plain spaghetti or rice like my daughter loves, and certain fruits and vegetables. These poor eating habits can get worrisome especially since children need to get sufficient nutrients to aid in growth and these are best obtained from wholesome foods rather than relying purely on supplements.

If you have school going children, this is the best time to get them to eat healthier and improve their immune system so that come the reopening of schools, there will be fewer chances of catching colds and flu.

If you’re tired of begging your child to eat their fruits and vegetables, here are some tips to help them eat better.

1. Involve them in food preparation

One way to make your kids excited about eating is to involve them in the preparations. Get them to chop tomatoes, shred lettuce, stir the pot,add ingredients and even decide what you should prepare for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This will make them want to eat the food they have helped to prepare.

2. Have fixed times for meals and snacks

One of the constant battles I have with my daughter is when she says she doesn’t want to eat because she had her snack too close to dinner time. To avoid these “I’m full,” excuses, ensure that your child has their snack at certain times, and in between that they can’t eat anything. This will ensure that come mealtimes, they are hungry enough to eat what you present them with.

3. Look for new ways to cook food

If your child doesn’t like cooked carrots, why not serve them raw and see if they would prefer them that way? Get creative with how you cook food, varying the recipes so as to add some novelty to the food. This will help your child get more excited to eat.

4. Lead by example

One way to teach your children to love healthy food is to show them that you like it as well. If they see you reaching for more fruits and vegetables and opting for healthier snacks, they will want to emulate you.

5. Build on what they already love

Introducing new foods can be tricky especially if they have a different flavour or texture from what your child is used to. If you want to introduce new foods, pair them with foods that your child already likes. 

6. Disguise the food

If your child doesn’t take to certain foods and you want to serve them, you can hide them in foods that they like. For example, puree carrots and add them to homemade sauces, make veggie burgers which can disguise legumes or add vegetables to fruit smoothies.

7. Have family mealtimes

When you serve food on the table and eat together as a family, your child will feel more encouraged to eat. If they’re old enough, allow them to serve themselves picking what they want to eat from what has been served. You might even be able to coerce them to eat more vegetables if they see their siblings and other members of the family eating them.