How You Can Teach Your Kids to Eat Healthier

If you are a parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt, then you probably already know how difficult it is to get kids to eat healthy food. The toxic food environment that we have today does not help matters at all. Does that mean you should just give up? Not at all!

Most parents believe they are choosing healthy foods for their children, but are their kids actually getting the sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables that they need? If your family consumes large amounts of dairy products and meat, as well as processed and sugary foods, it can be difficult to eat enough fruits and vegetables to achieve optimal health.

So what can you do to get your kids to eat and enjoy healthier foods? Here are some helpful tips:

Start By Focusing On Your Own Food Choices

Before you can start making your child’s diet healthier, you should first make it a point to change your diet to something better, too. This is another good example of how children don’t do what we say but what we do. You have to show your kids that you love vegetables and fruits for them to take an interest in them as well.

Ban Junk Foods in the House

Because of the toxic food environment we have today, our kids are always exposed to junk food – in school, at the mall, in the park, practically everywhere they go. And while you do not have control over that, there’s one place where you can impose a “no-junk” rule and that is your home. Clean out your cupboards and swap all the junk with healthier options. You see, if there aren’t any chips, pop, and sugary cookies in the house, you can’t eat or drink them!

Have a Strategy to Stop Picky Eating

Preparing separate “kid food” is not a good idea. If you want the little ones to really learn to like healthy foods, it’s better to make just one meal for everyone.  Instead of serving the same dinners that your kids like over and over, introduce new foods regularly – Chinese, Italian, Indian, Thai, and more.

Do Not Give Veggies a Bad Image

Some parents think that telling their kids they can have dessert only after they eat their veggies is a good strategy but it may actually have negative effects. When you do this, you are going to make your children think that vegetables are like a punishment and dessert is a reward. Also, make your desserts healthier. Frozen fruits or yogurt are excellent choices!

These simple tips can get you started on your long but fun journey of making your kids eat healthier. Remember that it may be a rough road, but it’s definitely worth it! if you want more tips on how you can have a healthier lifestyle as a family, you can always visit Sloan Natural Health Center! We’d love to help you!

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