Have you ever found yourself in a stand-off with your child about something you want them to eat because it’s good for them, yet they don’t want to? If you’re like most parents, it results in conceding that one or two bites is “good enough” as you simply don’t have the energy (or time) to sit there all night telling them over and over how eating nutritiously will help them grow big and strong.
So, how do you get them to eat healthy without driving yourself crazy in the process?
Kids can be finicky eaters. And, their taste buds seem to be geared toward high-fat high calorie foods. So, getting them to clean their fruits and vegetables from their plate can be a nightmare. But, it’s not impossible. Here are a few ideas to help you end those nightly battles and start to get some peace at your dinner table:
Make eating healthy fun
Kids don’t usually get excited about the things they have to do. Whether it’s cleaning their room, going to bed on time or brushing their teeth; it can be exhausting trying to make sure they do what’s good for them. And, eating nutritious foods is no exception to this rule.
If you want to turn healthy eating into something that doesn’t involve pleading and begging them to comply, you’ll want to make it fun for them. The more they look forward to it, the easier it will be on both of you.
Littler ones are easy to entertain with healthy foods if you arrange them in a picture-type pattern. For example, maybe you create a plate that looks like an outdoor scene complete with carrots as railroad tracks and broccoli as trees. Or, maybe you go for an ocean scene where apple slices become boats and sails or grapes are beach balls. Add more excitement by having your child tell a story as they eat their way through the picture.
With children that are a little bit older, you can engage them in the process of healthy eating because the more they’re involved in “big people” activities the more eager they are to comply without coercion. Let them wash the fruits and veggies and serve them themselves. If they’re capable, get them to cut them up too. Sometimes just being part of the process is enough to get them excited about eating the healthy foods they’ve prepared.
Keep nutritious foods more accessible than non-nutritious options
If you have a cupboard full of cakes, candies and chips, of course you’re going to have a fight over good food. It’s tough enough as an adult to make good decisions in that instance so to expect the same from kids just doesn’t make sense.
Don’t make it a choice to eat healthily. Instead, make it the only option because that is the only food you have in the house. Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have treats from time to time, but it is one thing to have a bag of chips in the cupboard versus having a complete pantry of processed snacks.
Keep a fruit bowl on the table so they can grab something nutritious if they get hungry. Or, have baby carrots in a container in the fridge so they’re handy to eat. If all they have to eat is something good for them, there is no fight at all. They’ll eat when they get hungry enough.
Don’t make eating healthy a punishment
You hear it all the time in phrases such as, “Finish your plate or you can’t go out and play.” That’s great in theory because responsibilities always come before desires, but essentially you’re teaching your child that healthy eating is a punishment. It’s a chore; something that has to be done before you can enjoy life.
Don’t make anything conditionally based on whether or not they eat something good for them. You don’t want it to be a trade off because they’ll carry that thought into adulthood. Maybe you even feel that way yourself? If you don’t eat all of the healthy foods on your plate, for instance, do you feel guilty? If it doesn’t sit well with you, it isn’t going to sit well with them either.
You’re better off not trying to barter with your child to get them to eat what you want. If they ask to be excused from the table and they haven’t touched their greens, simply tell them no. Let healthy eating stand on its own by not even mentioning what they can do when they leave the table. Keep it completely independent from other factors.
Watch your attitude
Remember that kids pick up how you feel about things. So, if you approach healthy eating as something that’s more of a chore or ‘must-do’ than a ‘want-to-do’, then your child will likely do the same. They will think that is how they’re supposed to feel too.
On the converse, if you seem excited about eating healthy and seem to really enjoy nutritious foods, they’ll pick that up too. They want to be like you so they’ll mimic your feelings and actions until they eventually become their own.
And, don’t think that you’re okay just by playing the part when you’re in front of them. They hear you even when you think they don’t. For instance, if you’re on the phone with a friend talking about how you’re sick of eating nothing but lettuce and carrots and you wish you could eat chocolate all day long and not gain weight, they hear that. They take it in and they believe that’s how they should feel as well.
Take the fight out of dinnertime and make healthy eating something your child wants to do. You’ll be helping them now and into the future as they develop positive relationships with nutritious foods.
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