10 Tips On Healthy Eating For Kids

If you care about your kids’ health and want to help them eat healthy, then keep reading.  Below are ten critical questions and tips for assessing where your kids are with their eating habits and what you can do to get them to love eating healthy.

1. Is the health of your kids important to you? This may seem like an obvious question.  It’s also critical that you answer “yes” if you truly want to improve the way your kids eat.  Healthy eating is central to the health of your children.  If your children ask for a reason for why you are making changes to the food you feed them, consider telling them: “I am making these changes because your health is important to me.  I want you to live a long and happy life, and part of doing that is eating well.”  It phrases it for them in a way that they can see how much you care about them and that you are not feeding them new or “unusual” food just to push their buttons.  Remember to make it a simple transition to healthy eating.
2. Do you believe that what your kids eat makes a difference in who they are and what they become? I do.  I’ve seen it in action.  Kids who eat well and are supported and encouraged by their parents tend to do much better in school, socially and as athletes and performers.  The statistics of the quality of food in America can be appalling, so it is critical that you do your own research and be an educated consumer.  To buy name brands blindly without knowing what effect the ingredients could be having on your child is not a wise move.  With rising rates of obesity, learning disabilities, autism, allergies and diabetes, all of which have been connected in studies to nutrition (or lack of it), your child’s eating habits cannot be ignored.
3. Do you believe eating healthy is too overwhelming for your kids (and you)? How do you escape the fast food/junk food craze?  It can be very overwhelming for your kids (and you) watching and listening to ads that promote food with bright packaging and all the right marketing tactics – but absolutely no nutritional value.  Ask yourself why you and your children feel overwhelmed by eating healthy.  What can you do to simplify the process?  Perhaps taking baby steps towards eating healthy is a good option for you if you feel overwhelmed.  Start by simply visiting a natural foods store with your children and exploring the aisles and options.  (Remember, not everything at a natural foods store is healthy food…you still need to do your homework and educate yourself on what is balanced and good for your kids.)  Be honest with yourself about what is overwhelming about healthy eating and have an open discussion with your kids about what might be overwhelming them.  Even if you just introduce one new healthy food option a day (or a week), you are making steady improvements.  That counts!
4. Do you know what it means to serve healthy meals? If not, you’re not alone.  Read on…  Most kids typically need 4-5 balanced small meals throughout the day, very similar to adults.  They do need more carbohydrates than adults typically do because of all the energy they burn, but that doesn’t mean you ignore the protein.  A balance of protein, complex carbs & healthy fats is important for kids to get at every meal and snack.  An example might be string cheese rolled in turkey slices with an apple and some whole grain crackers.  Remember to keep it simple and fun.
5. Do you feel like grocery shopping takes too much time? I would argue that you must take the time to go grocery shopping for healthy food for your kids.  If you don’t choose to make that happen, no matter how much time it takes, you forfeit your children’s health. Buying healthy, fresh food is the foundation for your children’s healthy eating habits.  Plus it can be easier and more fun than you may think.  Try one of these fun tips: 1. Bring your kids shopping with you and divvy up the shopping list amongst the kids.  Whoever returns to the cart with everything on their list fastest wins a prize.  2. Make shopping a fun learning experience for your kids.  If you’re shopping the organic produce section, ask them what makes food organic and why it’s important.  Or challenge them to gather as many different colors of produce as they can in the cart.  3. For math whizzes, have them tally the items or add up the total cost as you go along (this can be really handy on a budget and keeps your kids busy).  Schedule out time each week to do your grocery shopping, and make it a fun experience for everyone in the family…this will guarantee that it is time well spent.
6. Why do your kids eat junk food or fast food? Is it because those are the foods you eat too?  If so, you may need to tackle your own eating habits first in order to set good examples for your kids.  Often, the way kids eat is a reflection of how their parents eat, and they are simply repeating habits and patterns they see as normal.  If you normalize eating healthy and show them how simple and fun it is (not to mention how good it makes you feel), they will naturally want to follow your lead.  Kids, like adults, think junk or fast food is easier than eating healthy and then parents often use excuses like “It’s the only thing they’ll eat!”  The kids get hooked on the excessive sugar and salt in processed foods and crave more and more.  The best way to break this cycle of poor eating habits is to cut your kids’ access to junk food as much as you can and provide them with healthy, delicious options that they see you eating as well.
7. Are you able to say “no” to your kids? This may seem like more of a discipline-oriented question, but it has it’s place in the world of healthy eating.  Ultimately, you are the parent, and you are responsible for showing your children how to eat healthy.  If you are too tired, too scared or have other excuses for not saying “no” to your kids, they will simply turn to other sources for their nutrition guidance (media, friends, school cafeteria, ads).  Are you okay with those other sources teaching your kids how to eat?  Practice saying “no” with intention.  Next time your child reaches for an unhealthy food option, say “no” with positive, affirming intention behind it.  Know why you are saying “no.”  It is not out of meanness or punishment – if you need to, explain to your child that it is because you love them and care about their health.  If it’s a smaller child, explain the basics of how that food could make them feel (tummy-ache, etc.), and then with any age child, always offer a healthy alternative instead.
8. Do you believe you are denying your kid’s happiness if you don’t allow fast food, junk food and sugar? This may seem true temporarily, because if denied, these kind of unhealthy foods can cause withdrawal symptoms similar to the effects of alcohol and drugs in adults.  Headaches, cravings and temper tantrums may ensue.  But hold firm.  Your child will get through it, and once she has adjusted to natural, whole foods, she won’t be craving the junk food any longer.  She won’t connect it with her happiness, because she’ll find that she’s actually much happier eating healthy foods.  The best option is to deny your child these addictive foods from an early age, and then they don’t even really taste good because she is so accustomed to eating fresh, healthy food.
9. Do you want to educate your kids on good nutrition – help them to eat better when they grow up and start a family? My hope is that all parents really want to do this for their children.  It’s a natural inclination to want to pass on positive, life-affirming knowledge through the generations.  You are most likely already aware that TV and media are not the best source of nutrition education.  Food manufacturers control a lot of what is said on TV since their money funds many of the programs you see, including cooking shows.  Believe it or not, you are the best source of your child’s nutrition education – so it is vital that you constantly educate yourself and set a positive example.  Children need to know what they are eating, and if they’re old enough, why they are eating it.  Most kids won’t eat the “bad” food anymore once they understand that it’s not good for them.  Openly talking about and modeling good healthy eating habits is the best way to start positive changes in the home.
10. Do you want to outlive your kids? No parent wants this.  However, it’s important to note that predictions are being made about our children’s future that most parents cannot even fathom.  Experts are starting to say that if kids start their lives with so much processed food in their diet and an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle, it is likely they will die before their parents.  What changes can you make today that will ensure better health for your kids?  Be aware of what your kids are missing in their diet and activities, and start adding what you know they need to be healthy.

Even the tiniest step towards healthier eating habits can make a dramatic difference.  Commit to making one healthy change for your children today.  Help your kids change their eating habits to give them the gift of a successful future, and give yourself the gift of healthy, happy children!