Becoming a parent is one of the most magical and truly amazing things a human being can do, but as lovely as the kisses and cuddles, proud milestone achievements, and endless playing are, it can become incredibly frustrating when your children refuse to eat anything other than candy.
With this in mind, continue reading to discover a concise guide to getting your kids to eat healthier foods.
Change the Consistency
One of the simplest, yet often most effective, way of encouraging your children to eat more fresh vegetables with their evening meal is to change the consistency of the food you present them. For example, if your child refuses to eat a homemade and nutritious soup that is full of a rainbow of different vegetables, then look into how to thicken soup with SimplyThick and try them with that.
Practice What You Preach
As you will already know, children look up to and, in most cases, strive to emulate the older children and adults around them, and if you want your children to eat healthier foods and way more fruit and vegetables, then you need to eat them yourself. Experiment in the kitchen and take a look online at quick, easy, and healthy recipes that the whole family will enjoy, working together with your children to find vegetable-rich meals you all love.
Give Them More Choice
Everybody knows the importance of organization and meal planning, especially if you regularly cook for a larger family, but to encourage your children to eat more protein and fiber-rich foods, you need to give them even the faintest semblance of choice.
Children of all ages want to feel as if they are in control of what they are doing and when they are doing it, and as such, giving your children a choice of what meals they would like to eat the following week or what to pack in their lunchbox will go a long way.
Involve Them in the Cooking Process
Even though you would much rather put your favorite album on the speaker and pour a glass of wine while cooking, involving your children with food preparation and the cooking process is also a simple yet effective way of making them become more interested in the right foods.
Cooking together as a family will also serve to bring you all closer together and also help to encourage an interest in food and cooking which will hopefully stay with them as adults.
Never Force Them to Eat Vegetables
Just in the same way that you would feel decidedly uncomfortable with anyone forcing you to do anything you did not want to do as an adult, making your children sit there as you watch them pile in the broccoli will only serve to put them off healthy food further. Start with 1 or 2 pieces and build this up over time.
Instead, use positive reinforcement techniques and make the plates appear eye-catching and tempting, trying each and every meal to prepare them healthy foods they will actually want to eat.
