The lessons our children learn early on in their lives will guide their behaviors and habits as they get older.
With more and more kids developing problems related to obesity, it is now, more than ever, important to teach our kids to adopt healthy eating habits, including eating healthy foods, getting exercise, and understanding about foods.
As a parent, it is extremely important to me to ensure my children eat healthy. I don’t want them asking for McDonald’s and Taco Bell, but rather burgers that can be (healthily) made at home or a fun, yet healthy, taco night. Mmmm….taco night.
How do I get my kids to eat healthy foods?
Parents tend to be amazed at the fact that my kids will ask for carrot sticks rather than pretzel sticks or apple chips rather than potato chips. Really, I just started teaching my kids early on to develop a taste for yummy, healthy foods rather than sugary, salty, and processed foods. I was a nervous parent when my wife first got pregnant and I must have read everything there was about raising kids.
One thing stuck with me – children develop a taste for foods very early on; if you give them bad foods to start out with, it will be what they crave. I didn’t want that happening! Here are some things I learned to get kids to eat healthy from my own experiences:
- Always eat together when possible so your kids will see you eating the same foods
- Provide children with variety so they can eat what they like and try new things when ready
- Talk to your children about the importance of healthy eating
- And finally, accept that your kid will not like certain food items and do not force them; realize that tastes change as kids get older and maybe they will try it later on and like it
Cooking shows bring my family together in the living room and in the kitchen!
One thing we have enjoyed doing together to learn about eating healthy food is watching cooking shows on television. We all love Rachael Ray and her 30 Minute Meals. But I especially love Rachael Ray because she is a huge advocate of having children cook in the kitchen with you, learning about healthy foods and making them together.
I remember in an interview she said, “You can make any food fun. You can make vegetables cool to a kid if you’re mixing them up with something a child likes. If a kid says, ‘What’s in there?’ tell them, ‘It’s boogers and dinosaur guts!’ Get a giggle out of them…Make a list of all the new foods you’ve tried and keep it on the refrigerator.”
While some parents are afraid of letting their kids work in the kitchen, Rachael Ray points out that no matter where a kid is, they will always get hurt. The trick is to use safety guidelines to prevent kids from getting hurt, such as using plastic knives. For now, we like to keep our kids away from the big appliances, especially the waring meat grinder.
How not to promote healthy eating with your kids:
Well, I went over how to get kids to eat healthy, but it is important for you, as parents, to know how not to get your kids to eat healthy foods.
Probably the biggest mistake is you not eating healthy in front of your kids. Yes, you are an adult, but it does not give you the right to eat unhealthy in front of your kids. The wife and I have a special pantry the kids can’t get to filled with a few snacks for us adults when the kids go to bed. For now it works, eventually we will have to change that. But for now, out of sight out of mind.
You always have to be consistent. Do not be healthy on some days and then give into letting your kids eat unhealthy foods on other days.
About the author: Melissa Cameron is a freelance writer and avid reader who enjoys making homemade healthy hamburgers with her family using her great appliances and techniques learned at SimpleItalianCooking.com and ensuring she has all the fixings for a great burger.
Photo credit: Stu Spivack