Preschoolers are notoriously particular eaters. Whether it's a preference for peanut butter sandwiches for every meal or the refusal to eat anything green, young children tend to exhibit distinct food habits, often to their parents' frustration. It can be exasperating and worrisome to be the parent of a preschooler who refuses vegetables or will only drink milk if it's chocolate-flavored. It's discouraging to cook healthy family dinners only to watch your child turn up his nose. First, relax in the knowledge that this behavior is developmentally typical. Then try a few key strategies to encourage healthy eating.
Step 1
Eat healthfully yourself. Children absorb and often mimic their parents' attitudes and behaviors about food and nutrition.The best way to get your preschooler to eat healthy foods is to model healthy eating. Let your child see you buy, prepare and enjoy a wide variety of foods from the basic food groups, emphasizing nutritious choices over treats.
Step 2
Make healthy food fun. Children are more likely to try nutritious foods if they're served in interesting, fun-to-eat ways. The Mayo Clinic suggests serving finger foods with dipping sauces. Try baby carrots and bell pepper strips dipped into hummus or plain yogurt as a snack or appetizer. Serve potato wedges or baked chicken strips with barbecue sauce or low-fat mayo at dinner.
Cutting foods into fun shapes can encourage preschoolers to eat healthy foods. Use small cookie cutters to make shapes out of sandwiches, whole-wheat toast or pancakes, melon slices, pita bread or multigrain tortillas.
Step 3
Serve nutritious choices, including fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean proteins and whole grains, over and over again. Most children need repeated exposure to new foods before they learn to like them. If your preschooler resists his side dish of salad or steamed broccoli, don't give up. Try it again in a few nights, and again after that. Eventually he may learn to love green vegetables!
Step 4
Serve your preschooler the same meals you make for the adults in the family. This will expose her to new foods, expand her tastes and teach her what constitutes a healthy diet. If you give in to her demands for nightly macaroni-and-cheese or hot dogs instead of the balanced meal you've prepared, you reinforce her notion that she doesn't have to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
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