How to encourage children to eat a healthy diet.
Every parent wishes for their child to eat a healthy balanced diet, but let's be honest that doesn't always go to plan.
We’ve all had those days where our child constantly says ‘no, no, no’ to everything we put in front of them, no matter how long we slaved away trying to disguise those fruits and vegetables but don’t worry below are some tips on how to encourage children to eat a healthy diet without becoming the food police.
Offer choices
No one likes to be forced to eat something they dont like, especially energetic toddlers who would much rather play than eat. Offering your child a choice of two items at dinnertime may not seem like much, but a little goes a long way - they’re more likely to eat something out of their comfort zone if they think it was their idea - it’s going to give them a feeling of independence.
Introducing new foods
Most children dont like to try new foods and of course, this can make mealtimes difficult but it is important to stay calm and avoid force-feeding as this will make children anxious which will result in them having fear during mealtimes.
A great thing to try is introducing new foods along with foods you already know they enjoy, if they are a fan of mac ‘n’ cheese why not try adding a little bit of broccoli in the sauce or try pairing some fruit with their favourite flavoured yoghurt. Using foods they’re already familiar with it is going to make them less suspicious to try something new.
Smarter snacking
Snacking is a part of everyone's daily routine, we can't help but reach for a cheeky snack in the afternoon - I know I'm guilty of it! But it is important to keep snacks healthy, snacks should be high in fibre and protein as this will keep them full for longer.
Try and make snack times interesting by offering different foods as this will help to introduce them to new foods in small quantities. Some of my children’s favourite snacks are:
Peanut butter sticks
Crackers
Bananas
Yoghurt-covered fruit flakes
Lead by example
We all know how much children learn from their environment as we’re constantly watching what we say and how we act, the same applies to eating. Children will pick up on their parent’s attitudes and habits towards eating which could either result in healthy eating habits or poor eating habits.
Colour therapy
Children are fascinated with colours, it’s one of the ways they learn from a young age so applying this to their dinner plates, it’s more likely to hold their interest. By applying multiple colours to their plates it will make them feel they have a whole world of options to choose from.
Vegetables are fruits that are great to use for colour therapy as there are so many options to choose from, like they say ‘offer the rainbow’.