By Emma 
Getting kids to eat healthier is a never-ending challenge in the 21st century. Easy access to foods with high sugars and fats continue to plague parents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 40% of a child’s daily intake is comprised of foods with no nutritional value.
All is not lost. There are ways to inject nutritious foods and meals into their regular schedule. As proof, here are 5 tips and tricks to get your kids to eat healthier.
Table of Contents
Don’t Completely Deprive Them
There are two ways to change how kids eat. One is to completely strip them of the foods they like and replace them with healthy items.
The other is to gradually incorporate the better foods while allowing for the occasional set of empty calories. In general, the latter works better than the former.
When completely stripped of items they enjoy, kids have a tendency to rebel and go for the bad foods even while their parents cook healthier.
As a result, nothing changes. However, when given permission to eat ice cream or potato chips once in a while, kids are encouraged to do the right thing.
The internet is a great tool to help find the best ways to make this happens. Find a health hacks blog that has suggestions that gradually move children to better habits.
Let Them Help
A way to get kids involved in their own health is to ask for their help. Don’t force them to do this. It might cause them to rebel as much as eliminating all their favorite foods.
A positive answer if they’re asked is equivalent to approval. When it happens, don’t make them a spectator. Sit down together and plan the meals everyone feels will fit the tastes of the whole family.
If the kids request a meal or set of ingredients that aren’t healthy, use a “Yes, and” method to move them in a new direction.
For example, “Yes, lasagna is good, and the addition of spinach can add nutrients to it.” Through this presentation, parents can get better reception.
Incorporate Fruits And Vegetables Into Meals
This isn’t new for many parents. They’ve hidden one food item in another since their children were little. It’s the way they got them to eat certain foods.
The same concept can be used when a move is made to get the kids to eat healthier. Let’s look at the lasagna example. If the kids disagree on spinach, there’s a way to incorporate it.
Simply dice the leaves and add them to the tomato sauce. They won’t notice but get the additional nutrients all the same.
Another example is mashed potatoes. Split it between real potatoes and cauliflower as they have the same texture. When a chocolate dessert is prepared, add a bit of dark chocolate into the mix for a boost of antioxidants.
Plant With The Kids
When kids create something with their own hands they feel accomplished no matter the outcome. So, why not use this to make them eat healthier?
It can be done by encouraging them to plant and harvest various crops from window boxes or the backyard.
There’s a plethora of fruits, veggies, and herbs that the kids can plant from the spring to the fall. It doesn’t have to be standards like lettuce or tomatoes.
Strawberry plants produce sweet berries. Zucchini is another good crop to try. It produces a large number of vegetables and can be utilized in many ways.
Incorporate Regular Family Meals
This last one is the hardest as kids and parents have divergent schedules. However, it’s important they’re as regular as possible, even if it’s only a few times a week.
These scheduled meals perform several tasks. First, they bring everyone together. Second, if planned on days without after-meal events, the family can eat slower to better digest their food.
Third, it gives the kids an opportunity to help cook or try out their own healthy recipes.
The above tips are only a small sample of what can be done to get kids to eat healthier. Choose one or two that best fit current situations and test them out.
If they don’t work, try something new. Eventually, a plan will emerge on the best ways to make the kids eat healthier now and for the rest of their lives.
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