Family Concerns

What parent doesn’t want to get their kids to eat all their vegetables and stay away from pizza etc? Unfortunately, it is certainly easier said than done. Zucchini doesn’t stand a chance against golden crispy French fries steaming at the drive up window and cakes and cookies are so much more tempting than an orange.

However, if you start at a very young age, nutrition for kids does not have to be such a challenge as kids will have not experienced anything different. If you want them to amend eating habits later in life, then it will be much more difficult. Here are a few practical tips to make this uphill task a little easier.

Lead By Example
Parents are the number one role models for young kids and while we feel they watch Banrney and Dora all the time, they see what we do even more. Nutrition for kids is easier to focus on if the whole family is eating healthy. For example, if they see you drinking a lot of water as opposed to soda and other stuff, they are more likely to follow suit. Or, if they see Mom making a sandwich on whole wheat bread for herself, then they wouldn’t even ask for the refined, white version.
That means making sure your grocery basket is full of good nutritious foods and snacks.

Eat Together
Even though day planners [pin]seem to be|are getting [/spin]increasingly busy, sitting down and having at least one meal together on a daily basis is a big step in the right direction towards nutrition for kids. Nutritious meals are easier to plan and prepare and serve if everyone is going to eat them as opposed to making everything from scratch for just one or two members of the family.
Try to make these meals a relaxing affair around a table – no TV dinners. It’s an opportunity for everyone to discuss their day.

Get the Children Involved
If nutrition for kids is important to you, get them involved in menu planning, grocery shopping and meal preparation. That way they will feel they have more control over what they eat and if you lay down the right guidelines they just might get into the habit of making healthy choices.
One suggestion that I have found works really well is to try a new ‘color’ vegetable or fruit each week. Make a chart, so if week one is purple, they might try egg plant or purple grapes and if week two is yellow, they may try squash and banana milkshake. In our family we took it a step further. It originally started near Halloween time when I said to the kids that if they tried squash as a vegetable at dinner time I would paint a pumpkin face painting design on their cheeks. After that there was no problem getting the kids to try new fruits or vegetables or new dishes. And, not surprisingly my face painting skills improved too as the kids came up with new designs for me to learn.
You too can learn to face paint - find out more
Face paintings
Face painting ideas
face painting ideas

Think of teaching nutrition to kids as an investment in your family’s health and wellbeing. While you cannot predict or completely prevent anyone from any disease, you can at least do your best. Who knows, your healthy eater may positively influence his or her spouse and another generation where nutrition plays an important role in the family dynamic.