It is very important to have your children eat healthy. These are their foundational years and it is up to us as parents to instill healthy eating habits to develop into healthy adults. However, for many parents, encouraging their little ones to eat healthful foods is an overwhelming venture. The numerous amount of fast food restaurants and junk food commercials do not make it any easier, but below are some tips that will help.

1. Set a good example – As with most child-rearing issues, when it comes to eating healthy, actions speak louder than words. If you want your child to eat healthier, you must also eat healthier. It is important to exemplify a healthy food attitude. Do not however, label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Parents who associate guilt or negative feelings with eating, or who obsess about eating or diet constantly, or use food as reward or punishment will more than likely pass destructive habits onto their children. These destructive habits can lead to long-term eating disorders.
2. Create a nutritional area – It is near impossible to control what your family eats while you are away, but to ensure that they are eating healthy transform your home to a nutritional oasis. Stop purchasing ‘junk food’, instead replace with healthy, wholesome items. Be sure to fill your cabinets and refrigerator with healthy snacks so that each snack or item your child reaches for will be a wholesome and healthy one.
3. Vitamin lessons – It is important to research nutrition on your own first, in order to teach your children. Make a list of vitamins and minerals found in common fruits and vegetables and the benefits specific nutrients have for physical well being. Put this list up where everyone in your family can see it, perhaps on your refrigerator and ask your children to look up the advantages of certain foods you prepare, make eating healthy a learning experience that is fun.
4. Makeover mealtime – Remember when eating together as a family was the norm? Unfortunately with our crazy schedules, this may not always be possible, but we can make changes that will benefit the entire family. First, start slowly. Choose a few meals a week to eat together. Even one family meal together is better than none. Hold a family meeting to choose times that all family members can commit to. If your schedules still do not permit dinners together, perhaps breakfast can be eaten together, waking up a few minutes early will be well worth it. Involve the entire family in meal planning and preparation. Ask your little ones to design one meal a week using nutritious foods.
5. Don’t give up – Children will often refuse certain foods in an attempt to assert themselves, but not necessarily because they don’t like the dish. Never force a child to consume a food they don’t want to eat. In our home we have a rule, you must try before you say you don’t like it. If your child still doesn’t like the particular food, wait a few weeks and re-introduce perhaps in a different form. Remind them that it’s ok to change their minds about a certain food and share instance when you have changed your mind about foods that your now enjoy. Use positive reinforcement – avoid reprimanding children when they make poor food choices. Instead, flood them with positive messages, when they pick healthy foods.

Children’s eating habits change slowly – but if you set a good example, offer nutritious snacks and meals and deal with the situation in a loving and respectful way, your little one’s eating habits will eventually change and for the best.

Until next time,