School starts soon. The relaxed ways of summer give way to more regular routines. This is a good time to create some eating habits to help your children get the nutrients their body craves. Here are some tips to increase your child’s interest in healthy foods:
1. Bring your kids grocery shopping. While in the produce section, let your kids pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try. Kids are more interested in trying new foods when they get to pick them out.
2. Encourage Adventurous Eaters. Research indicates that it may take as much as 5 eating experiences for a child to accept a new food. Encourage your children to take 1-2 bites of a new food to develop their taste buds.
3. Incorporate “fun foods”
Kids are drawn to foods that have different shapes, and bright colors. There are many fruits that can fall into this category such as kiwi or star fruit. You can also be creative! Instead of handing your child a whole orange, break it up into pieces and make a smiley face on the plate. You would be amazed what simple creativity can do!
4. Make desserts healthy. You can still have dessert and make it healthy too. Instead of depending on store bought cookies and candy (which provide minimal nutrients), try dipping fresh strawberries in chocolate sauce, a fruit smoothie, or a berry cobbler. These choices may have some sugar but are also adding nutrients at the same time. Remember- everything is healthy in moderation.
5. Prepare meals together. Let your child be part of the preparation. Whether they mix something in a bowl or pour a sauce they will be happier to eat and try new foods when they played a part.
6. Be a role model for your children. If you enjoy physical activity and eat healthy your children will likely do the same. Encouraging physical activity and healthy food choices during childhood will help build these habits for a lifetime.
Jeanne Peters RD, Nutrition Director for the Nourishing Wellness Medical Center in Redondo Beach specializes in natural solutions and preventative whole food approaches for raising healthy kids to menopause, family weight management and She can be reached at 310-792-7830 or learn more at www.nourishingwellness.com
Filed under: nutrition | Tagged: childhood obesity, diet, fitness, healthy eating and children, kids, makeover, nutrition, raising healthy kids, weight loss, workouts
