Your child is growing and developing every day. In order to provide him with the nutrients he needs to complete a productive day, diet is imperative. According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, parents play a large role in how their children eat and should not give up even if a child rejects eating a particular food. It may take 10 tries before a child finally accepts a new food, so stay consistent and your child will be eating healthy foods on his own in no time.
Step 1
Purchase a variety of foods, including an array of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, healthy unsaturated fats and whole grains, and have them in the house at all times. Any other foods should be eaten sparingly and kept in the house as little as possible.
Step 2
Prepare a variety of healthy snacks for your child to eat. Keep Tupperware containers of cut and prewashed fruits and vegetables like celery, carrots, strawberries, blueberries and peppers in the fridge at all times for your child to snack on. Other healthy snacks to keep ready and prepared in the fridge include whole-grain crackers with low-fat peanut butter, unsalted nuts and low-fat string cheese.
Step 3
Involve your child when packing his lunch. To avoid your child making unhealthy food decisions while at school, pack his lunch as often as possible. To ensure your child doesn't disregard your healthy lunch, involve him in the process by giving him choices of what to pack for lunch. By giving him the choice between a lean turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole-wheat bread or low-fat peanut butter and sugar-free jelly on whole-wheat bread, he will feel involved with his own eating decisions.
Step 4
Provide an example. Your child won't want to eat healthy if he sees you eating whatever you want. Instead of forcing fruit and vegetables on your child, provide the same meal for the entire family and show that eating healthy is not just an option, but a necessity.
Step 5
Avoid stocking the house with sugary juices, sports drinks or sodas. Stock your home with 100-percent fruit juice, like apple juice, orange juice and cranberry-apple juice, but limit these drinks to once or twice per day. The rest of the day, encourage your child to drink water with a slice of lemon or lime if desired, and skim milk or soy milk.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid eating out as often as possible--restaurants hide excess saturated fat and calories in buttery sauces and full-fat dressings.
- Consult your doctor before placing your child on any diet.
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