10 Tips to help your kids eat more healthy veggies
I was getting my haircut today and my stylist has a two year old daughter. She was remarking how smart the little girl is and how she loves a new educational interactive TV show. She allows her daughter only one total hour in front of the screen (broken up in chunks throughout the day) and only with this channel. She said “I put her in her high chair and feed her while she’s watching – it’s the only way I can get her to eat anything healthy!” and then she motioned how her daughter stares intently at the screen while shoving good food in her mouth- oblivious to taste or what it is. She’s so mesmerized by the screen that it doesn’t matter what she’s eating. While I’m glad her daughter is getting nutrition, I don’t know that mindless eating in front of the TV is necessarily a good habit to encourage – but I don’t blame her. It’s HARD to get toddlers to eat anything beyond Mac and Cheese or peanut butter and jelly once they’ve tasted those things.
So, to help you, below are ten tips for helping your kids eat more veggies (without using a screen!)
1. Start young. When your babies are old enough to start on solids, encourage their taste buds to LIKE the green stuff by not always giving in and giving them mashed bananas or other sweeter items.
2. Be enthused. There’s something to be said for “Open your mouth, here comes the airplane” or something similar!
3. Model good habits. Little Johnny won’t really want his broccoli if he sees you eating a handful of M&Ms out of the corner of his eye. Save the M&Ms for after the kids go to bed.
4. Whenever they ask for a snack or complain with “I’m hungry” choose healthy veggies instead of cookies or crackers, etc. Grocery stores make it easy these days with prepackaged baby carrots and more.
5. Hide them. Zucchini can be shredded and added to soups or even breads. Carrots too.
6. Let them choose. Give each of your children a “snack box” in the fridge and only put healthy choices inside. When they ask for a snack, send them to the refrigerator to their own box to choose from what’s inside.
7. Dip it. Kids love Ranch dip on almost anything.
8. Smoothies. Grab your blender, some yogurt and fruit and mix up a smoothie. The trick here is to add a piece of green cabbage. The kids won’t taste the cabbage and it’s another way to hide the health!
9. Serve them raw. Some kids just don’t liked cooked vegetables and there is no rule stating that they need to be cooked. Raw is sometimes (many times) healthier than cooked anyway.
10. Save them for the next meal. Require your children to eat the portion of veggies that’s on their plate or you’ll be serving that same portion to them at the next meal (and the next… and the next if needed) until they’re eaten. Kids will learn very quickly that fresh veggies taste much better than triple warmed over ones! Just don’t let them snack in between on other things!
What are your favorite tips for getting your kids to eat healthy? Find more tips from Sarah Matheny, author of “Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love”
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More info: http://peasandthankyou.com
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