Five Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthier

by Alex Jones | December 2, 2017

Whether you’re vegan or not, getting your kids to eat more healthfully can be a challenge. Some are picky eaters, and some can be just plain stubborn. Here are five ways you can “trick” them into eating healthier – and loving it! Shh, it’s our little secret.

• Keep Trying – I’ve read that some children need to try something TEN times before they develop a taste for it! So, don’t give up if your kiddo doesn’t like something right away.

• The One Bite Rule –  Growing up, we had a rule (which I remember thinking was quite reasonable, even as a child). It was that you had to try at least one bite of something before you declared you didn’t want to eat it. I’ve found that with my own daughter, this rule works wonderfully. There have been many times when she’s turned her nose up at a dish, but after the obligatory first bite, decides she actually likes it and wants more!

For example, there’s a dish I make called “Kid’s Kale.” Usually when I set it on the table, my daughter’s friends will say it looks icky and they don’t want to eat it. However, after enforcing the One Bite Rule, they invariably end up fighting over the rest of the dish! Hence, the title “Kid’s Kale.” They’d be missing out on a dish they loved if we didn’t enforce this rule!

• Keep the Freshness Coming! – Most children like at least a handful of fresh fruits and vegetables, even if they don’t like most of them. So, if your kiddo says they hate spinach, cucumbers, oranges, and strawberries, be sure to keep trying new produce items. Don’t give up and say “My picky kid hates fruits and vegetables.”

Keep trying—it’s so important! Exposing them to a variety of fresh produce will make it more likely they’ll find ones they love. Plus, when they’re eating more and more fresh fruits and veggies, their bodies will adjust and actually begin to crave those types of healthy foods.

• Give them Power! – Well, not too much power, of course! But, let your kids have a say in the grocery store. Tell them to pick out a vegetable and fruit of their choice in the produce section. Teach them how to cook alongside you in the kitchen. Even at the age of two, my daughter was measuring things into bowls, stirring, and learning a love of cooking through those simple tasks.

And I must say—if you ignore the rest of my article and only focus on this one step, you’ll be amazed! Children who have power to make healthy choices in the grocery store, and are given the opportunity to help prepare meals in the kitchen will surprise you with their willingness to eat healthier!

• Be a Role Model – Yep, there’s no way around this one. You can’t expect your kids to eat fresh organic whole foods if you’re chomping down on greasy takeout every night. Model healthy habits for your kids and they’ll be very likely to follow suit. And besides, it’s great motivation for us grown-ups to be healthier too!

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