Creative Ways to Encourage Your Kids To Make Healthy Food Choices

We all know that value of getting the kids to eat good food. It’s good for their development and helps them to maintain a healthy weight. But how can we be proactive in getting them to make healthy food choices? Well, read on to find out.

 

Play

 

All kids love to play. In fact that how they learn about the world around them. There is a range of different play activities that you can do with the little ones to help them become more aware of what is healthy.

 

Try buying them some play food that includes a good range of vegetable and fruit. Then they will begin to see this as a vital part of a balanced diet. You can get plastic versions or these cool felt version from Etsy here. The way that some of them divide into a slice and then can be fixed back together with velcro is especially useful. It’s a fabulous way of getting the kids to interact and learn about food, as they can pretend to be cutting and cooking it as well as just buying it.

 

You could also get a Little Tikes Cook N’ Store Kitchen which will provide the kids with a cooker and cupboards in which to store for pretend food. Then they can be just like mummy and daddy while learning about healthy choices.

 

Bake

 

Baking with the little ones has to come pretty high up the list of being creative and engaging. Not only is it an activity to do on a rainy afternoon, but getting to eat the product of your hard work is a bonus for any kid.

 

Try using clean ingredients; that are not processed and make recipes like these. Then you can show the kids that even treats can be nutritious for them.

Eat Out

 

Encouraging healthy meal choices when eating out is also something that can be started with the kids at a young age. Remember we are not trying to put them on a diet but just to have a healthy and balanced menu throughout the week. Going out to eat can be a part of this.

 

Check out the menus on a restaurant meal prices website before you go, so you can see what is on offer and what the prices are. Then you can discuss with the children picking one treat item and one more health one before you get there.

 

Leading by Example

 

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we influence our children as much as we do as parents. But you can guarantee that they will pick up if you are reluctant to try new foods. That why it’s so essential that we set a good example for our kids and practice what we preach.

You can do this by making trying new things into a game. Pick 2 or 3 new things to eat to try each week. One should be a vegetable, one a fruit and the other of can be your choice. You can get the kids to close their eyes and try the food, and if they like it, they get to have it in their lunch. The catch is you have to do the same as a parent. In fact, sometimes it’s better if you go first to show them that there is nothing to worry about. There really is nothing like leading by example.