Getting Your Kids To Eat Healthy

When it comes to teaching kids to eat right, most of us go through a hard time trying to convince them to do so. However, that does not mean the task is near impossible to accomplish. Here are some useful tips and tricks to help you get the young ones munching down on healthy meals every day.

1. Get the pace right
One of the things that you will likely notice duri8ng mealtimes is that the kids often would want to get done with it right away, mostly so that they can get back to playing. Here, it is important for you to get them to eat at a slower pace for them to better feel their hunger. Give your kid a 30-second interval between bites to let their bodies properly determine whether they are getting the right amount of food.
After they are done with their first plate, don‘t be too hasty in trying to give them a second serving. Wait at least 15 minutes before asking them whether or not they want more. This will help their brains determine if they are still hungry or if they already have enough. When they do ask for additional serving, make sure this would be smaller than the first one.

2. Let them play with food
This might seem odd, considering that one of the lessons taught to us when we are little was to not play with our food. However, turning mealtime into something fun will get them more interested and excited. One way to do this is to tell a story with food. Give each food item a name and a character and tell your story, ending with them eating the food.

Creating a game out of eating will also not only get them excited about eating, but will also serve as a good opportunity for parents to teach them the young ones about proper nutrition. In case you have no time to prepare your own set of games, there are plenty of apps available for the purpose.
However, the eating part is not the only one you can make for the kids. Food preparation is another activity that they could join in, instead of having them wait impatiently while you cook. For instance, if you want to eco9urage your children to eat veggies, get them to help in putting the prepared ingredients into the cooking pan. You can also let them do simple tasks, like mixing sauces. The kids will be more enthusiastic in munching on foods that they themselves helped prepare.

3. Get them involved
Teaching kids about proper nutrition should not be limited to the dinner table or the kitchen. Get them involved when doing the groceries, so that you can better explain to them what kinds of food you buy and why. Dining out can also be used as an opportunity to instil the lessons of proper nutrition on them, so that they retain it even when eating away from home.

Growing your own food is probably one of the best ways that you can have your kids learn about the different kinds of healthy foods. Note that you don’t need to have a large garden for this. Small box plots can be used to grow a few crops. Let the kids do the planting and watering for them to get more engaged. You can go and teach the young ones how to select the right parts of plants to be used when cooking and preparing food.