If you have kids, you know how much of a struggle it can be to get them to happily eat healthy food. But for their own well-being, it’s vital that parents and caregivers find ways to encourage them to eat food that’s going to be good for their growing minds and bodies. So if you’re gotten into some bad eating habits with your kids, here are three tricks for getting your kids to eat healthier.
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Offer Healthy Choices
In most families, kids get used to eating the food that’s available to them. If you’ve only given them junk food or food that isn’t very nutritious in the past, making the transition to healthier foods isn’t going to be easy on anyone. But something that can help with this is to let your kids feel like they have a choice in the matter.
When offering your kids choices of food, make sure that both of the options are healthy enough for them. By giving them a choice in what they eat, even if you’re the one choosing the offerings, you can help them have some control over what they are eating and really consider which of the options they’ll enjoy more in this moment. This can help them be more willing to try foods and make healthier choices since it was their decision to eat that food.
Find Ways To Make New Foods Less Scary
For kids that aren’t used to eating healthy foods, trying these new foods can be scary. But luckily, there are plenty of things that you can try to make foods less scary for your kids.
One thing you might want to try is to allow your kids to play with the foods and try eating them with things that they are familiar with, like different dips or sauces. You can also try making an entire experience out of eating something new by trying different types of meal kits that you can all eat for the first time together.
Hide Healthy Foods
Another option for getting your kids to eat more healthy foods is to hide some healthy ingredients in foods that your kids already like to eat.
Smoothies make a great vehicle for all kinds of healthy fruits and vegetables to be eaten in a fun and delicious way. You can also hide vegetables in baked goods without changing the flavor much. And making some smart swaps, like vegetable fries rather than french fries, can also help your kids to see how yummy healthy foods can be.
If you’re needing some help in getting your kids to embrace eating healthier foods, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you see how this can be done for your family.
