Children everywhere in the world have an on-going love affair with junk food such as hamburgers, pizza, candy, soda and salty foods like potato chips and french fries. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a single child who has these same strong feeling for the healthy food that they need such as grains, vegetables, fruits and foods reach in nutrients such as meat, beans, fish and nuts.
Fortunately, there is one tied and tested strategy to make kids eat the kind of healthy food that some of them may not want -- that's by making it fun.
That's right, make eating healthy food fun. And how do you do that? Here are some tips:
(1) The Sneak Attack. Try sneaking in some of those fruits and vegetables along with the kind of food they like, say, making muffins out of bananas or apples. There are lots of vegetables the you can throw in when you're serving the kids pizza. You could also make them look funny by arranging them creatively on a plate or making them stand up like people. Sure, some people don't want their kids playing with food, but if it will help them get healthier, it may be worth the effort.
(2) Funny Name Game. If your kids are below the age of four, here's a nifty trick that gets them every time. Give the fruits and vegetables funny names and concoct elaborate stories. Some stories will end with these funny-named vegetables getting swallowed alive by the giant child. In another version, the vegetables run for cover and hide from their enemies by entering a big cave that happens to be your child's mouth where they quickly get gulped down.
(3) The Taste Test. Kids dislike vegetables because they don't like the taste. Therefore, make the healthy foods taste better and your child will love them. For instance, put peanut butter on celery or add a dash of flavor to broccoli with ranch dressing. I'm sure you can think of dozens of ways to spruce up healthy food.
The key is to find creative ways to make your children enjoy eating healthy food. And once they've acquired a taste for it, eating healthy foods will be second nature to them.
Healthy Eating Guide Guidelines
1. Instead of eating 3 bigger meals break it up and eat 5-6 smaller meals and snacks throughout the day. Eating more meals makes your metabolism work more efficiently
2. Eat slower. Eating too fast can lead to being full before your body has time to tell you. Slow down to allow your body to tell you when it's full. This is a big cause of unnecessary overeating.
3. Make a slow gradual transition to your healthy eating before going all out and counting every fat, carb and calorie. Select whole grains, lots of vegetables, fruits, and cut out as much sugar and preservatives.
4. Try to utilize a diet plan that is in line with the type of person you are. Many different diets work for many different people and vice versa. Just because the Atkins diet worked for "jimmy" doesn't mean it will work for you. The most important part about eating healthy or being on a diet is to NOT be on a diet. And what we mean by this is when you are following a certain plan it must not feel like it. It must start to just become who you naturally are. If it is gut wrenching to follow a certain plan it's not worth it because no matter how disciplined you are you won't stick to it long term. So read reviews and learn about different diets and choose the one closest to who you are that gives you results.
Along with your healthy eating guide you should have a journal to track your progress. Make notes of how you feel on your plan and just make casual notes about activities you are doing or ways in which you are eating.
Both Kadence Buchanan & Phil Hixon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.