Food should always be fun! Say goodbye to dinner dramas with these funky tips on getting healthy food for kids to become a hit in your household.
You’ve come home from work, turned on the oven and whipped up something that’s going to fill the tummies of your little ones. You’ve thought of fibre, protein, nutrients and minerals, only to be met with a scrunched up tiny face pushing the plate away. Ouch.
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your children are getting the most out of the food they eat. They need to have energy, stamina and vitamins flowing through their bodies to make sure they get the most out of the day. It starts becoming difficult when the terrible twos or the troublesome threes or the “word we can’t say in a family blog” fours come around.
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All children have a stubborn streak, and it is only natural for them to push boundaries from time to time. So, what can you do to make sure that dinner time doesn’t turn into a veggie-throwing fiasco? Let’s break it down.
10 tips on adding some fun to healthy food for kids
1. Be a good role model
Children don’t do as they’re told, they do what they see. If they see you read books, they’re going to read more books. If they see you being kind to animals, they’ll be kind to animals. If they see you inhaling a salad like it’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten, they’ll follow suit.
Make healthy foods that YOU enjoy and show your kid how delicious you think it is. Children always like to mimic the cool adult in the room, so make sure that cool adult is you!
2. Get your hands dirty
What better way to get your kids excited about veggies than growing them in your own garden? If you have space, a vegetable garden is a fantastic way to teach your children where their food comes from. This is not only a valuable life lesson but a great way to bond with your children and teach them the value of knowing where their food comes from.
It’s far more exciting to pick your carrots, lettuce and tomatoes from the earth than it is to drag them around the grocery store. Get your hands dirty together and watch them love eating up their hard (and fun) work.
3. Make it look good!
Here’s the good thing about healthy fruits and vegetables: they’re super colourful which gives you lots of room to play. It can be as simple as a yummy fruit kebab or as elaborate as a sunflower on their plate made out of sliced mango, grapes, and a stalk of celery. Get some inspiration from these 20 awesome fun foods for kids.
4. Cook together
Okay so this may take some prep time and significantly more clean-up time, but it’s always a great idea to get your kids involved in the kitchen. If they are a part of making their meal, they’re going to be more excited to eat it. Check out these amazing berry coconut chia overnight oats from WellBe & Co here.
5. So-and-so eats broccoli
Kids go through idols like they go through socks. Please, don’t think that you need to be above a little old-fashioned bribery every now and then. Does Elsa from Frozen eat lettuce? Of course, she does! Does Elmo love a juicy red tomato? You bet. Does a cool aunty who travels the world drink her water? Absolutely.
6. Be consistent
Don’t make the mistake of only presenting your child with a green plate every other week. This is unpredictable and if there’s one thing healthy eating needs, it’s routine. Your child is more likely to have a positive response to the food they eat often and have had a chance to explore.
7. Tell them why
It’s no good to tell your child they have to eat it “because you said so”. This is a recipe for tears, and it doesn’t help your child build a long-standing relationship with healthy food.
Why not dedicate a day to making a fruit and veggie rainbow? Or perhaps a food pyramid? Whilst your little ones are having fun with the colours and textures, you can educate them about the fantastic reasons we need to eat good, nutritious food.
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8. Juice it real good
If your child is fussy about the sight of a bed of greens, chuck all the good bits into a blender and juice away! Juices and smoothies are a tasty way to get healthy foods into your child’s tummy – and you can make them as crazy as you like!
9. Leave it up to them
There’s nothing wrong with giving your child the freedom to choose their own dinner plate. Instead of dishing up for them, have everything separated into bowls for them to choose what they like. This gives them a sense of control over the situation, and they may be inclined to have a bit of a show-off for you.
10. Get creative
Just like you can make your food look good, you can get creative about how you speak about food, too. Carrots make your eyes work in the dark, broccoli makes us feel like giants eating trees and beetroot gives you cool vampire teeth! Whatever gets your child excited is a step in the right direction and should provide plenty of laughs for everybody.
Read next: What To Do If a Child is Choking: 4 FAQs
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