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Proven Tips for Helping Your Child Develop Healthier Eating Habits
Dinner time has gradually become your least favorite part of the day. The kids often complain about the salads and casseroles you make, and they’re trying to negotiate for fried chicken and pasta from fast-food places. You understand the importance of nutrition for your growing, energetic children. But recently, you’ve been feeling frustrated and no longer want to fight these repetitive mealtime battles.
How can you persuade children to eat healthily? Frustrated, you throw the salad plate away and tear open a packet of frozen chicken nuggets, wondering what you can do to entice your children to eat nutritious meals instead of those oily, fried foods?
Whether you are a preschool teacher, a caregiver, or a tired parent, you need some tricks to help children eat healthily. We spoke with child care and nutrition experts to find answers to the question we all ask: “How do you get children to eat healthily?”
8 Tips to Help Children Eat Healthier
Try these eight expert tricks to make mealtime a bit smoother with your picky eaters. We can’t promise that your two-year-old will never throw carrots on the floor again, but these ideas will help you take positive and right steps.
1. Offer Choices
No one likes being forced to do something, especially toddlers or older children trying to assert their independence, and this principle also applies at the dining table. While the choice between apple slices and celery with peanut butter may not seem like much, it gives children the autonomy they crave, while you maintain control over nutrition. Your child may be more excited to try a new or healthy food if they feel it was their idea.
The little gourmets in your kitchen might actually enjoy planning meals. Lucy Harris, CEO of Hello Baby Bump, often spends time reviewing meal plans with her children weekly. “Letting them participate gives them a voice and makes them feel heard,” she says. She sets rules for what each meal includes rather than accepting that they will eat mac & cheese for every meal. For example, they must eat at least three servings of vegetables, one serving of starch, and one serving of protein.
2. Let Them Serve Themselves
Allowing children to control their own plates is another way for them to exercise independence and get excited about trying new foods. It might take a few attempts, but most children will be willing to add healthy foods to their plates if they have the autonomy to choose.
Lisa Hugh, a nutrition expert, suggests that a meal should usually include protein, complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, and dairy or another calcium-rich food. By offering your child options in these categories, they get to make choices while still receiving the necessary nutritional components.
3. Introduce New Foods Gradually
Children are often wary of new things, including healthy foods. So, what’s the solution? Combine new foods with healthy choices your child already likes. According to Aastha Kalra, MD and founder of Weight Zero MD, during the first five years of a child’s life, they learn what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat based on family culture and attitudes.
While they are developing their preferences and habits, remember to introduce them to a variety of foods—fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, proteins. Ysabel Montemayor, the chief registered dietitian at Fresh n’ Lean, says this can prevent them from becoming picky eaters as they grow.
If your child doesn’t want to try a new food or dislikes the initial taste, try pairing it with something they already enjoy. For instance, if your child isn’t a fan of carrots, try pairing them with a favorite dip. If they dislike broccoli, try mixing it into an omelet or mac & cheese.
4. Smarter Snacking
Snacks are necessary for both children and adults, but it’s important to be mindful of them. Keep snack portions small for your child. Also, try to avoid spoiling their appetite for dinner by offering snacks too close to mealtime, says Jodi Greebel, a nutrition expert at Citrition. If it’s close to dinner time, consider letting your child sample any vegetables or other ingredients you’re cooking.
It’s easy to hand a bag of crackers to an upset child, but it’s not the best strategy for developing healthy eating habits. Montemayor says snacks should be rich in protein and fiber to keep your child fuller longer. Offering your child healthy snack choices will keep snack time fun while exposing them to new foods you can incorporate into lunch and dinner. Montemayor recommends the following snacks for young children:
+Whole-grain crackers with cheese
+Apple slices with peanut butter
+Nuts
+Carrot or celery sticks with dip
+Boiled eggs
+Grapes
+Low-salt or no-salt popcorn
5. Show Them the "Behind the Scenes" of Food
Children are more likely to enjoy healthy foods if they are interested in and exposed to them. Children are naturally curious, so creating opportunities for them to visit a farm or local farmers market will increase their interest in foods like vegetables, grains, fruits, and dairy. Let them explore and find all the different shapes and colors of the fruits and vegetables grown, and choose the ones that look best to them, says nutrition expert Emily Incledon.
For another activity, show them pictures or videos explaining how food works in the body. Greebel says, “Kids always want to understand how things work.”
>> You May Be Interested: 10 Parenting Tips to Make Life Easier
6. Let Them Help Prepare Meals
Children are more likely to try a new food if they helped make it. Simple tasks like measuring ingredients, stirring a bowl, or tossing a salad are great starting points. They will learn how meals are prepared and how a complete meal comes together as they perform these simple tasks, helping them start to make their own healthy meals as they get older. Cooking with preschoolers takes extra time, but the results are well worth it!
7. Don’t Force It
As we mentioned earlier, choice is key to encouraging healthy eating habits. While exposing them to new foods and how they are prepared can increase the variety in their eating habits, they won’t love every food. In fact, despite your best efforts, your child might still be a picky eater.
Nutrition expert Marlisa Brown says, “For picky eaters, keep trying. Introduce them to different foods multiple times as their tastes change. Foods should always be offered in various forms and flavors. Never force or pressure the picky eaters around you, just do what you can to encourage them.”
8. Lead by Example
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- Children are greatly influenced by their environment, including culture, media, and family. The influence of parents is especially important. Dr. Kalra says parents’ attitudes and habits toward food can lead to healthy eating or disorders in children. The good news is that we provide some practical tips to develop healthy eating habits in children:
- – +Expose children to a variety of healthy and new foods
- – +Praise children when they choose healthy foods
- – +Ensure others around the child also eat nutritious food to set an example
Reducing Stress While Helping Children Eat Healthily
Now that you have expert strategies on how to get children to eat healthily, it’s time to use them effectively. With a bit of luck, you can simplify mealtime with children and help the next generation develop lifelong healthy habits. Sharing food experiences and learning new skills are proud moments for any parent. Your innate ability to nurture your children is the solid foundation for building a healthy lifestyle and eating habits for them.
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