How To Get Your Kids To Eat More Healthily
Even as adults we can struggle with the concept of healthy eating so getting kids to eat healthy can seem like something of a nightmare on many levels. For one, you want to be sure that you are providing your children with foods that supply them with all of the proteins, nutrients and vitamins needed for their growth and development. The second challenge here is that you need to persuade your children to actually eat the healthy foods and that is where the bulk of the problem comes in to play. If you feel like you have to beg your kids to eat their greens or bribe them with a shiny new toy or a day at the amusement park then fear not, there are more painless ways to get your kids eating right.
Always Ensure That You Use Quality Products
This may sound like a no-brainer but sometimes when there is a cost variance between items, many of us leap for the cheaper alternative without really considering the preservatives, the colourings, or the lower quality ingredients that have been used to make the item. As an example, food manufacturers in Melbourne vary significantly from place to place. One mayonnaise manufacturer may use high quality, natural and organic ingredients and another may buy artificial ingredients in bulk in order to be able to deliver a lower cost to their customers.
As much as you can, always try to ensure that you use quality products everywhere – from the vegetables you use, to the condiments.
Set An Eating Schedule
According to professional dieticians, kids need to eat every 3-4 hours. Getting the scheduling of meal and snack times right can also go a long way in ensuring that your kids eat all of the healthy dishes that you prepare for them, and that they do not snack on junk later on. Try and ensure that breakfast, lunch and dinner are at the same time each day so that your children’s body clocks get used to a routine and they arrive at the dinner table hungry. If your kids are really ready to eat, there is less chance of them refusing to have their broccoli!
Make Desserts And Fast Food A Treat
Nobody wants to be that parent that is always taking their kids to McDonalds or letting them indulge in sweet treats and fast foods a little more than they should. At the same time though, it’s nice to have treats every now and then. Consider allocating a certain night of your week as being a treat day for the kids.
For example, you could go out for food as a family every Sunday or make every Saturday a day where you do something fun together (like going to the park or an amusement park) and where the kids can enjoy a treat (like cotton candy, toffee apples or just a big yummy bar of chocolate).
If your kids know that they can only enjoy these treats on set days or if they eat their healthy foods during the week, they will be more motivated to eat their greens and fruits than if you let them eat bars of chocolate or packets of chips all the time.
