How to Encourage Healthy Eating in Kids

One of the more difficult parts of raising healthy kids is feeding them nutritious food. Of course, they want more cake and candy, they don’t want their broccoli, and they have no idea why a balanced meal is so vital. But don’t give up; there are lots of easy ways to encourage them to eat healthier.

Lead By Example 

Sounds a bit obvious but well worth giving your own eating habits a bit of checker. We can fall too easily into bad habits and don’t even notice. I was talking to a client a few weeks ago about caffeine and how I only drink 1 cup a day. Wasnt till later I realized how wrong I was and had forgotten the Pepsi Max’s I drink in the day. Safe to say they and the 1 cup have now been eradicated from my life.

Get the Kids Involved in the Cooking Process

If you are having trouble getting your kids to eat healthy meals or snacks, why not let them participate in the prep or cooking process? Kids are very hands-on, so when they see what goes into preparing meals, they often want to eat what they helped make. You can even get their help picking recipes and take them to the store with you. When you get home, do meal prep together and let them stir or do safe things in the kitchen. This might depend on their ages and skill levels. You are bound to have your kids more interested in their food when they know they helped.

Send Your Kids With Healthy Snacks

When your kids go to school, that is when a lot of the unhealthy eating takes place.
Cafeteria lunches are not the best options, so try to pack their lunch each day, but try to make it fun. For snack time, donít send your kids with money for the vending machines. Instead, pack some really yummy and healthy snacks that would actually look forward to eating, like fruit cut into fun shapes, or veggie kabobs.

Try to Make a Game Out of Eating Healthy

While at home, you can turn your healthy eating into a game for the younger kids or when one of your kids is a little more stubborn about eating certain foods. This can also turn into a learning experience. If one of your kids is learning basic math in school, get out some slices of fruit and practice adding and subtracting with it. Your child has now learned basic math and is also eating the fruit when they’re doing with the lesson. This is a major win-win!

Allow the Occasional Treat

Following a healthy diet doesn’t mean you can never anything that is a ‘treat’. By completely denying all treats, your kids might have that rebellious nature and want to pig out when they do get one of their favorite things. However, if you offer the occasional bowl of ice cream or a piece of pie after dinner, they are more inclined to eat healthy so they get their treat.