How I’m Getting My Kids to try Healthy Food

5 Healthy Eating Tips for Kids

stonyfield yogurt review

As a mom of two little ones, I’ve gotten pretty adept at feeding kids. My oldest, JB, is 9, and my journey with getting him to even try healthy food has completely altered my own relationship with food. The bottom line is that most kids like sweets. I’ve got one heck of a sweet tooth myself, so believe me, I’m not one to judge. Still, I realized by the time JB was about three years old that we’d soon have some major feeding issues if I didn’t start making some changes in our household.  

But I was lazy, and frozen chicken nuggets are so easy. Fighting with your kid(s) about food is one of those battles I refused to choose. I even asked our pediatrician about it and his response was, “kids won’t starve themselves. He’ll grow out of it in time.” He didn’t. He continued to exist on chicken nuggets, cheese, and cereal. It wasn’t until I had a chance encounter with a nutritionist that I realized that the problem began with me. My own diet was pretty cringe-worthy, and I didn’t necessarily make meal-time fun. With the help of this nutritionist, I learned that with a few tweaks I could change JB’s relationship with food, while simultaneously changing my own. 

 5 healthy eating tips for your Picky Eater

1. Be creative. Find different ways to prepare the foods they like. 

Thankfully, both of my kids began eating yogurt at around 9 months old. Our favorite yogurt, and the one we still keep in our fridge at all times is by Stonyfield Farms. We love mixing it in with spinach, fruit, and honey or agave for sweetner.

best yogurt for kids

2.    Eat with your kids

I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I didn’t eat with JB. When he was younger, I’d simply put him in his high chair with an iPad and let him eat whatever I had prepared (and by whatever I mean chicken nuggets and cheese cubes). By setting aside the time to eat at least one meal with my children, it’s changed how we all experience food. Instead of it being this singular activity one can theoretically opt-out of, it’s now become a group activity. And no one wants to be left out of the group. Now dinner time has become an event of sorts, a time we all look forward to being together.

3. Hide the veggies but tell your kids what’s in their food. 

I like the idea of mixing veggies into a yummy fruit smoothie, however, I think it’s important for kids to know that they are eating veggies. Veggies have such a bad reputation with kids that I think we help to remove the stigma by being forthcoming about when veggies are included in their meal. We do continue to mix veggies in with our sweeter meals (like spinach blended into pancake batter), but we’re also forthcoming by letting the kids know what they are eating. No more being sneaky! 

Healthy Smoothie Recipe for Kids and Adults 

fruit smoothie recipe

  1. Frozen Berries (Strawberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries)
  2.  3-4 large heaping spoonfuls of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt. 
  3.  3-4 large heaping spoonfuls of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt. 
  4. Frozen Berries (Strawberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries)
  5. Banana
  6. Spinach and/or Kale
  7. Chia Seeds (for extra protein)
  8. Date Syrup, Honey, or Agave for sweetener
  9. Blend 
  10. Garnish

4. Relinquish control

What this means for grown-ups is to not make a fuss about a kid who doesn’t want to eat what you’ve prepared. This shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence if you are, indeed, making a concerted effort to find various recipes that include the foods you know they like. However, when it happens, it’s important to ask your child to take one or two bites. Then one or two more. If your child insists on not eating the meal, let it go. Like my doctor told me years ago, kids won’t starve themselves. Choosing to not eat what we prepare will present the natural consequence of hunger. Once your child realizes that making this choice results in the unpleasant feeling of hunger, said child will, in time, choose more wisely. 

best smoothie reipe

5. Vary meals/recipes frequently

Once I discovered JB liked frozen nuggets, I prepared them so frequently that soon it became one of the only foods he’d eat. That’s why variety is so important, especially with early eaters. Keep it exciting and new. Your kid will always have their favs, but they will be more open to trying new and healthy foods when you are constantly presenting new and healthy foods. 

best healthy smoothie recipe for kids8

BONUS

If you’re working with a child who has settled into their ways of being a picky eater, give yourself and your child a good 3-4 months to adjust to the new way of eating. Baby steps. Kids are notoriously stubborn and if you inject anger or frustration into your food-training you won’t get very far. Instead, keep it light, fun, and easy-breezy. No punishments, and no force-feeding. In time, your child will adjust to eating a more varied menu of foods and you’ll feel better about your child’s diet.

That’s all folks! Share your tips below!

stonyfield yogurt smoothie recipe

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