Parents who try to instill healthy eating habits in their children have to fight against the many message children receive about unhealthy food choices. Television, fast food commercials, friends and even the school cafeteria make it a challenge to help kids make healthy food choices. Kids who learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits are laying the foundation for lifelong health. Parents can encourage healthy eating choices with a plan that involves education, control and choice.
Step 1
Start early to teach healthy eating habits, healthy food choices and why healthy eating is important for their bodies. Use MyPyramid for Kids, a service of the U.S Department of Agriculture. Give your child a copy of the food pyramid and discuss the information.
Step 2
Lead by example. Your eating habits are the best encouragement for your child to make healthy food choices. Exhibit your own healthy eating habits by eating fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks. Limit your between-meal eating, serve appropriate portions and talk to about feeling full. Refrain from talking about dieting, food and body image and negative feelings about food.
Step 3
Sit down regularly with your children for family meals. Serve dinner around the same time each evening, and encourage the whole family to participate. Family meals are good opportunities to model healthy eating habits and commit to healthy eating as a family.
Step 4
Encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast each morning. Starting the day off with a good meal helps kids refrain from snacking and making unhealthy food choices when they are hungry.
Step 5
Remove junk food from your home, and stock up on the types of snacks you want your child to eat and the healthy foods you use for meals. Make sure there is a variety of different foods available.
Step 6
Involve your child in food decisions and preparation. Take him grocery shopping and encourage him to read food labels. Talk about nutrition and balanced meals. Ask him to make suggestions for healthy purchases and to help find ingredients for meals. Involve him in preparing meals and snacks. Assign him age-appropriate tasks to help with food preparation. Praise and compliment him for his contribution.
Step 7
Allow your child to make food choices from the foods you make available. Allow her to pack her own school lunch, choose her snacks and suggest foods for family meals. Keep cut fresh vegetables and fruit on hand and ready.
Step 8
Help your child develop a healthy relationship with food. Allow him to stop eating when he is full; don't enforce a clean plate rule. Don't engage in power struggles over food. Refrain from using food to reward or bribe your child.
Step 9
Help your picky eater make healthy choices by offering one new food when he is hungry. Include a favorite food with the new food, let him help with preparation and eat the food with him. Cut food into fun shapes to encourage picky eaters to try something new.
Step 10
Provide a variety of healthy snacks with different colors and textures. Use natural sweeteners like yogurt and fruit. Provide salad dressing with raw veggies to increase flavor. Make fun snacks using cookie cutters or pretzel sticks. Find creative recipes for fun snacks kids can make alone.
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