10 Easy Tips to Help Your Children Eat and “Grow Good”

  1. Don’t make an announcement or a production out of changes you will be making to the family meals. It is interesting how when you announce that you are making a change that it becomes an issue. Instead begin by making subtle changes to what you prepare for your meals. Begin with gradually substituting things like regular pasta with the whole grain variety. When choosing bread, be sure to buy whole grain and not whole wheat. Remember all breads are made from wheat. With some wheat breads, they are nothing more than white bread that has been colored with either artificial colors or molasses.

    And to get them to eat salads and vegetables, make your dishes interesting. I have found that if your mix fruits and vegetables in a salad for instance, children will eat it. Add fresh sliced strawberries and peaches to a green salad and top with a homemade salad dressing that has a little added fresh fruit puree. This will cut down on the oils and children will think it is a treat.

  2. Allow your children to help out in the kitchen. It is a family meal so why not make it a responsibility for the family. One thing you might try is slicing up the fruits and vegetables beforehand and allowing them to make their own creation. One good rule is to teach that they must include at least four colors in every creation. This will more than guarantee that enough of the right foods have been included at each meal.
  3. Begin practicing eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible each day. If you are on a tight budget, and who isn’t these days, be sure to buy what is on sale at the supermarket. One thing I frequently do is to speak to the produce manager at my local supermarket to ask them to save the ripe fruit as they change fruit out on specific days of the week. They will discount ripened fruit, and in some instances, give it to you, as it cannot be on the shelf once it ripens past a certain stage.
  4. Get in the habit of making mini meals and store them in zip lock bags or small storage containers. These can then be stored in the refrigerator and ready when your child needs a snack. Or better yet, allow your child to make them. Four or five mini meals a day is healthier for both you and your children and it will eliminate the need for snacking and cut down on overeating.
  5. Limit your purchases of candy, chips and sodas. For snacks, buy things like Kashi brand granola or better yet keep a supply of fresh fruit on hand for snacks. Read labels on everything to make sure they do not include too much sodium (salt) or high fructose corn syrup. Remember the more simple the ingredient label, the better.
  6. Make mealtime a special time. Set the table and place pretty flowers so that your child knows what a special time it is. Turn off the television and sit at the dinner table. Do not allow the use of cell phones (and this includes you), video games or anything that will take away from mealtime and the focus on what and how much is being eaten.
  7. Where possible set aside at least 30 minutes, preferably longer to eat, at least one, of your meals each day. Dinner time is usually the best time to accomplish this. And because so many of us work, try rearranging things like homework and do this while you are preparing dinner and schedule time following dinner to check the homework or help with assignments. It is all a matter of creating a formula that works best for your family.
  8. Plan your menus for the week and allow your children to help. Create a list of what is available to eat during the week and allow your child to help with planning the meals. This is a great Saturday morning activity and eliminates the need to figure things out during the week. This also helps your child learn how to take ownership of his or her own health.
  9. Remember children are children and they like sweets. So to make sure they are eating sweets that are good for them, be sure to keep a small supply on hand. In future issues, I will be sharing recipes for sweets that are perfect for any kid.
  10. Beginning today, eliminate all fried and processed foods from your diet. I know this is going to be tough as almost everything is processed. You can begin a little at a time but make it a goal. If you have a favorite recipe that is fried, send it to me and I will do an oven or other conversion that I promise you will love.

Until next time, be sure your family is eating & Growing Good!