How to Get Kids to Eat Healthier Foods

1. Involve them in the process   Let them own it.  Whether choosing veggies at the store, stirring ingredients, artfully laying out foods for presentation, choosing between two options, or actually helping to grow a vegetable, a child who participates in the preparation of a meal will take pride in the final product.  This significantly ups the chances of them eating it. 

2. Educate yourself and pass it on   Kids really do want to know the truth about things.  If you take the time to gather a little information about why the broccoli is good for them and explain it age-appropriately and with enthusiasm, you have a much better chance of them believing you...and eating it.  This is much more effective in the long-run than, "Just eat it if you want dessert".

3. Eliminate the extreme foods   If kids eat too much refined sugar and salt, the two super-strongest tastes, they cannot develop an appreciation for the more subtle deliciousness of everything in between like fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes.  I have a friend whose baby loved eating any type of fruit or vegetable.  When she started feeding him sweetened yogurt, he suddenly became a picky eater.  If you must sweeten foods for your child, use something less refined like stevia, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, raw honey or maple syrup.  And-- more importantly-- keep it to a manageable amount so that their little taste buds don’t get overwhelmed.  (Is there some rule that cookies have to be cloyingly sweet?  Try cutting sweetener down by 25% and see if you miss it.)  As for salt, this is where we say that you should stay away from processed and packaged foods.  They are full of sodium, artificial flavors and other strange things that will numb your child’s sense of taste.  All of this applies, by the way, to adults as well.  

4. Vary what you serve them, no matter how hard it is.    The temptation to feed kids the same reliable meals is huge, but the importance of a varied diet cannot be over-stressed.  Even if it is considered healthy, the same meal several nights a week is not doing them or you any favors.  They will miss out on a range of nutrients, never be given the chance to discover new favorites and keep ‘pickiness’ as a habit.  Kids certainly love familiarity, but there’s a first time for everything, so get them in the habit of trying new things by requiring them to take one or two test bites and then decide if they want more.  Enjoy new foods in front of them even if they don’t like them at first.  They’ll be getting a positive message. 

5. When you must, hide the vegetables Follow all of the above guidelines and hide nutritious foods in your old stand-bys.  For example, a red pasta sauce is a great hiding place for carrots, broccoli, kale, etc.  Just throw them all in a food processor or blender and stir the tiny bits into the sauce.  (Do it at the end of cooking so as to keep the most viable nutrients.)  Consider hiding other nutritional gems like ground flaxseed or walnuts (both great sources of omega-3 fatty acids) in hot cereal.  But-- when we say ‘hide’, we do not mean to actually make it a secret.  Be cool and casual, let them know that the food is in there after they’re started eating, and then explain in a totally nonchalant way why it is such a wonderful thing to eat. 

Final Thought:

As with adults, so much of a child’s wellness comes from what go into their little bodies.  It can be difficult to instill healthy eating habits when everyone in the world is trying to give your kid a cookie, but the effort is well worth it.  While we would never advocate an unyielding stance on this (please don’t try to get your child to eat celery while all of the other kids are eating birthday cake!), most meals should be made with the intention of glowing health.  Good luck!