Healthy Eating Guide:  Kids Eating Healthy Snacks

Fast food is a big part of modern life these days, making it quite challenging to instruct a child on eating healthy foods and snacks.   The cheapest and easiest foods are those that are normally the least healthy. If you give most children the chance to choose between a junk food which tastes yummy, or an apple, celery or something else that’s heathful – well, you wouldn’t like the  results.

Even though it isn’t possible to get a child to like all  healthy foods, there are some ways to get your child to try new foods and experiment.   For instance, you can perhaps interest a child by getting them to learn about new food types at the Grocery!   Certainly, you can get creative with this; put your mind to it and you’ll come up with some ideas.

One thing you could do is incorporate your child’s birthday into the mix – i.e, as a gift give your kid an interesting gadget – like a grater, or an egg separator or a chopper – then, maybe your child will want to chop things up with it (some veggies maybe ).

Colourful Bundle of Vegetables

Author:palestrina55

– Sneak the healthy food in. Even though it would be great if your kid understood the importance of fruits and vegetables, this isn’t always possible. If you can’t get them to eat good food willingly, there are ways to sneak them in, such as making muffins out of bananas or apples, or pizza with spinach on it.

– Call fruits and vegetables by funny names. You can refer to broccoli as “trees”, making them more fun to eat. There are many different names you can call fruits and vegetables, even making up your own if you prefer. Most kids prefer to eat foods that sound fun.

– Make the foods taste better. Ranch dressing is great for broccoli, while peanut butter is a great topping for celery. There are several combinations for vegetables that can make them taste much better. You can let your child pick a topping for a vegetable, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally like yourself.

– Dress the vegetables up. Just as much as calling them names help kids eat healthy foods, making them look funny also helps. You can do this by making funny designs on the plate, or setting them up to look like people. Although some parents don’t like their kids playing with their food, sometimes it helps to get them to eat healthier.

There are several ways to make your kids eat healthier, but it’s best if they could enjoy it, too.   For instance, if your daughter is wanting to have a slumber party then plan out some healthful snack in advance.  Be sure to discuss it with her, though.  The earlier you can include her in making responsible food choices for herself, the more well-rounded she’ll likely be in this department.   Of course, this is all “easier said than done” — but with creative methods it can be accomplished.

Here’s a few fun books (Cooking with Kids) to get you thinking – first, one having to do with CHemistry and cooking – What Einstein Told  His Cook

Your son may like learning about chemistry in food, or your daughter might get into the Baking aspect of it – How & why certain things intermingle and interact as they do

FACTOID:   Healthy Eating can Help You Alter Yr Blood Chemistry

More Healthy Eating Ideas:  HEALTHY Eating Guide for Families   and More Healthy Eating/Healthy Living Articles  and Nutritional Guidelines for Kids

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