As your child learns to develop a taste for new foods, he may go through phases where he won't eat anything but canned spaghetti rings and macaroni and cheese. Certainly, you are concerned about his health, but you also don't want to force him to eat the foods he dislikes. But how will he know which foods he likes and doesn't like unless he tries them first? Making healthy food options a presence in your child's daily life will increase his likelihood of trying and enjoying meals that are also full of nutrients.
Step 1
Chop and slice seasonal fruits and vegetables in advance, then place them in small plastic zip-top bags in your refrigerator. Also buy plenty of low-sugar fruit and yogurt cups. When your child is hungry, you won't have to worry about preparing a healthy snack or feel tempted to hand him premade chocolate pudding. If you have less healthy snacks on hand, he will be more likely to beg you for those as opposed to accepting the sliced apples and cheese or celery with peanut butter and raisins.
Step 2
Let your child help you choose what healthy options to buy and cook with. Don't force her to eat the foods she has tried and doesn't like, or else she will come to perceive "healthy" foods as "bad" foods. If she feels as though she has a say in what she eats, she will be less likely to whine when you put her meal on her plate. In fact, if she feels pride about having chosen the carrots herself, and if she feels as though she helped you cook the stir-fry, she may be more than happy to eat what is on her plate.
Step 3
Eat well and set a good example. Your child will not only observe what you put on your plate, he will also see the way you interact with what you put into your body. Make sure he sees you eating a wide assortment of healthy snacks, or else he will begin to believe that grown-ups aren't held to the same standards as children. He may even think of healthy food as punishment rather than as a way of life. Also be aware of how much you put on your plate and monitor the way you discuss body size. If he sees you pour three servings of spaghetti onto your plate and then he hears you discuss how chubby your thighs are, he may also grow to have an unhealthy perception of food and body. Alternately, if he hears you say that you will eat only until you are full, and you re-emphasize that shape and size aren't as important as health, he will be less likely to have food battles later in life.
Step 4
Turn healthy food into fun. Have whole-family dinner- and dessert-making parties; allow your child to choose the veggies that top her pizza, and let her pick the colorful fruits to go into the fruit-salad-and-whipped topping dessert. Maybe the fruit salad will be strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream on the 4th of July. Perhaps her pizza won't just be a pizza, but it will be a pizza that has a smiley face made of olives and bell peppers. Turning healthy food into fun can work even more to your advantage. For example, if your child won't eat spinach, she will more than likely drink it if you sneak it into her blueberry, banana and orange juice smoothie dessert.
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