Mealtime can be a challenge, especially if you are serving healthy ingredients. Instead of resigning yourself to chicken nuggets and PB&J, consider how you can shock your children into taking the first bite of something new. You’ll need to use a combination of tactics, so put on your trickster hat and prepare to amaze your kiddos.
Here are FIVE clever ways to feed your kids healthy treats.
1. Stay Calm
Children can read facial expressions and determine emotions with remarkable accuracy. Refrain from making a fuss as you encourage your kids to eat healthy foods. Try to stay as calm and relaxed as possible — if it seems unimportant, it will remain under your child’s radar.
To stay nonchalant, serve yourself a portion of the healthy treat. If your kiddo is too young to eat on their own, then channel as much positivity as possible. You can try meditating or listening to music before mealtime to channel a state of zen. Before you know it, your child will be chowing down on those healthy snacks without ever realizing it’s a major accomplishment.
2. Sneak It Into Everyday Foods
Embrace your inner sneakiness and hide the healthy foods inside of everyday snacks. Healthy treats come in all shapes and sizes, so be willing to think outside of the box. For example, you can call your kids into the kitchen to try the new brownies you baked — little do they know the recipe calls for beets and includes an avocado frosting!
It’s easy to add healthy ingredients into baked goods like bread, cakes and pies — but what about popular lunch and dinner recipes? The answer is simple — choose healthy swaps. Whole wheat pasta and bread can replace the standard white option. If swapping ingredients seems out of the question, then change the ratios. When making a casserole, soup, chili or stir fry, add more vegetables than usual. Your kids will enjoy the same great taste while consuming double the veggies.
3. Blend It
Does drinking a fruit smoothie sound delicious to you? Chances are, it will sound tasty to your kids too! While eating a plateful of spinach appalls most youngsters, they’ll be happy to devour that and more while enjoying a smoothie. Most recipes use fruit to provide a naturally sweet taste that masks the vegetables. With a little yogurt and juice, you can create a creamy and smooth consistency to amplify the flavors and provide the perfect drinking consistency.
If your child is less than a year old, always check with your healthcare provider before transitioning from breastmilk and formula to solid foods. At 4-6 months old, if your baby has good head control and can sit up in a high chair, you can slowly introduce healthy pureed foods. You should only introduce one new food at a time and wait at least three days before starting another type.
Healthy foods to puree for babies include:
- Apples
- Carrots
- Squash
- Pears
- Green beans
4. Play Up the Visuals
Most people eat with their eyes before making a decision, so healthy treats will seem more interesting if they have fun shapes or exciting colors. You can also make snacktime more stimulating by using unique utensils.
Fun Shapes
Use cookie cutters or a mandolin to shape sandwiches and other healthy snacks. You can also manipulate certain batters and baked goods before cooking. As your child plays with the food, they’ll be thinking less about the taste and more about the intriguing shape. While it may take some extra time on your part, it will be worth it to see their smile.
Interesting Colors
How fun would it be to eat a color-themed meal? If you set a plate full of blue ingredients in front of your child, their excitement will overwhelm their hesitancy. Trying each food will be a fun mystery for them to uncover. Alternatively, you could try making a rainbow or picture with the ingredients instead of sticking to a singular color scheme.
Unique Utensils
Eating is more fun when you are using a fork-shaped like an airplane. This is only one example of the wild utensils available on today’s market. You can find cutlery in most colors and styles, including interactive dinnerware. Themed sets are available online to make healthy eating more entertaining for young children. These pieces also promote self-feeding.
5. Turn It Into a Game
Has your child ever turned down playtime? To make eating healthy foods fun, try turning snack time into a game.
Here are some educational games you could try:
- Sorting fruits and vegetables by color.
- Spelling words with pretzel letters.
- Competing for the best pancake face design.
- Counting the number of crackers in a pack.
Make Food Fun
With these five clever methods, healthy eating has never been easier. Remember to stay lighthearted at mealtime. If you hit a roadblock, you just need to keep trying. Food should be fun for your kids, so consider ways to appeal to them specifically. If you know that one kid loves dinosaurs, choose foods, utensils and games related to that theme. You can do this — even if you need to go one bite at a time!
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