Getting Children to Eat Healthy

On every other nutritious food or beverage commercial, we hear the commentator reiterate that telling children things that taste good, can really be good for them, is a bad idea. I personally cringe every time I see these ads. My experience has been just the opposite. I have a four year old who loves carrot sticks (without dip), and a 22 month old who devours green beans and tofu. How did I do it? Let me start by saying, I don’t buy into to the old adage that children and vegetables do not go together. My family is vegan. That means we eat no meat and no dairy products. Therefore vegetable, grains, and legumes (beans) are our staple. Thus, as soon as the boys were able to take in solids, we started them on vegetables, instead of starting on fruits. Once they came to appreciate the natural flavor of a few vegetables, then we introduced fruits like bananas. Now that they are four and almost two, they know to expect vegetables at every meal, and even some snacks. At this point, many of you are probably thinking, “But, hey, we are not vegetarians.” No problem. The key to having kids who eat healthy is having parents who eat healthy.

Mom, Dad, what do you eat regularly? What have you defined as a snack in your household? These are essential to creating or changing your child(ren)’s eating habits. Children learn what they live. For instance, a snack at our house ranges from carrots, with or without peanut butter, to cookies from the health food store. Fruits and vegetables have been placed in the same category with cookies, pretzels, and popcorn. That brings us to the subject of ingredients.

What looks healthy or uses words like “natural”, is not necessarily so. You must read the ingredients on the packaging of the foods you purchase. Decide what is okay and what is not okay; share that with your child(ren) (if they are old enough to understand), and stick to your decision. In our home, we do not allow any refined sugars, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. In other words, we only drink soy milk, water, and 100% juices. All of our sugars and snacks come from the health food store. My four year-old will tell you he can only have snacks or “candy” from the health food store. We do not give them a choice in this matter. However, we do allow them to choose their favorite snacks, fruits, and vegetables. Most of the health stores have items identical to typical candy or other junk foods, but with more optimal ingredients. Thus there are answers to the cookie, candy, sweet cereal, cake and even ice cream dilemmas.

Now that we have considered some of the basics to creating healthy eating habits, getting children to consistently eat that way calls for a bit of creativity. For children between the ages of 2-5 games work very well. Try the airplane and the hanger game. It works like a charm for my 22 month old. Choose your child(ren)’s favorite mode of transportation, and use it to drive that food into their mouth. A good many times, the younger child will spit it out if they really do not like the flavor and/or texture. Do not make a big fuss. Honor their choice now, and they will be less likely to rebel the next time you give them the very same food. If it is a food that would be okay if it were sweetened, try adding a little natural sweetener to enhance it, and offer it again. If they still reject it, let it go. Let them eat everything else. This is why it is important that the entire meal or snack is nutritious. Young children are fickle. What is absolutely yucky today, may be their favorite tomorrow. With preschoolers, use their great desire to be either big and strong like daddy, or grown-up and beautiful like mommy, to encourage them to eat those foods they are rejecting. Make sure there is a favorite along side every not-so-favorite. When the growing big and strong does not work, I let my four year-old know he must eat the not-so-favorite in order to be allowed to eat the favorite. I know it sounds like bribery. That’s because it is bribery. I choose bribery over force every time. In most cases, once that preschooler gets started eating, they completely forget about the conflict because they are too busy thinking about the reward of their favorite food. If he is animate about it, I let it go. I honor his choice, while letting him know how it makes me feel. Now, let us discuss tactics for older children.

With older children, ages 6 and up, presentation is everything. If it looks nasty, it probably is nasty. No, it does not have to look like a chef made it, but taking some time to be sure everything does not look like brown stuff will help. Try choosing foods that have distinctive colors. If there is a sauce or condiment needed, put a happy face on the plate. Cut food items into their favorite shapes. That works extremely well with young children, too. If your child requests something you think is weird for dipping, let them have it, as long as it still meets your families health standards. Mom and Dad, whenever you go out for dinner, try something new and nutritious.. If they see you do it, they will be enticed to try new things as well. The rule at our house is you have to take at least one good bite before you can decide you do not like it. Cook books that include recipes children can make themselves will help a great deal in this area.

Finally, I must touch briefly on the importance of compromise. It is inevitable that any one of your child(ren)’s peers will not have the same eating habits. Candy and other junk foods will be offered. We have decided that it is okay for our children to have those things from time-to-time. We do not want these unhealthy items to become the forbidden fruit that he will sneak around to have. They know what our stance is on those foods, and the effects of eating too much of them; namely the infamous stomachache. Thus, we make it clear that having those types of foods are exceptions, not the rule. Whatever you decide, do not stress about any aspect of helping your child(ren) to eat healthy. Stress will only create a tense environment that will foster discomfort about the subject for you and your child(ren). Take your time. Have fun.

In summary, keep in mind the following list:

1. Mom and Dad must eat healthy to have children who eat healthy.
2. Re-define the word “snack” to include fruits and vegetables
3. Buy healthy foods only. Read the ingredients.
4. Be creative. Play games. Make the food look good.
5. Be willing to try new foods and offer them to your children.
6. Be willing to compromise without totally giving up your standard of health.
7. Do not stress about it. Make it fun.

Have a great time, and remember, “Children learn what they live”.