Get your Kids to Eat Their Veggies!

We all require a diet that contains sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals and many other nutrients. We all know this. However, this is especially important for children because their bodies are still growing and developing. In addition, instilling proper eating habits early in their lives will help most likely ensure a healthier diet as they grow older.

So, having said that, how do we get our kids to eat the right foods? They just seem to naturally gravitate towards all the unhealthy stuff. So dinnertime quickly turns into a power struggle which ends in a stalemate! So, here are some easy changes that anyone can make in order to add some nutrients to their diets, as well as some great tips and tricks to get your kids to eat those “icky” healthy foods:

1 – Be a role model. It won’t happen overnight, but kids mimic what they see. If your kids see you eating healthy, they will be more likely to as well. However, the opposite holds true as well. If your kids see you eating all the wrong things, why would they opt for those carrot sticks?

2 – Give smaller portions. Children have small stomachs so offering several smaller portions throughout the day is more likely to get them to eat their recommended servings, as opposed to one large helping at dinnertime.

3 – Got milk? For children, drinking 2 cups of milk daily will help them grow strong, healthy, bones.  It will also help them meet their daily recommended intake of Vitamin D.

4 – Get interactive! There are some great tools out there on the internet. Have your kids create their own Food Guide. Health Canada’s government website offers a great, interactive tool where kids can see for themselves the recommended daily intake of different food groups based on their age, size, etc… Children are more likely to get involved in healthy eating when the information comes from someone other than their parents (what do parents know, anyway!)

5 – Make Food Fun! Making food fun can really encourage kids to eat foods that they might not enjoy. So, go ahead, play games with your food! Make cool shapes with your food. Many stores offer great shape cutters designed especially for kids. And there are some great food games out there for teaching kids about healthy eating such as FoodFlash at foodfun.org.

6 – Turn mealtime into a family time. We all know how hectic life can be. But turning suppertime into a family fun time can make kids look forward to dinner, even if it means eating some healthy foods. Share the day’s events over dinner, or play some word games while eating. Whatever you do, make sure it is fun and can include the entire family.

7 – Start a garden. Get your kids involved in growing their own garden of good stuff. Growing their own carrots, tomatoes or peas will not only teach them about where the foods come from, but will also encourage them to want to eat the foods that they were able to grow with their own two hands.

 Getting kids to eat healthy is not always easy, but hopefully, with these tips and tricks, it can be just one step easier.