We all know how an important role a healthy diet plays in our lives. It’s crucial to provide the organism with proper nutrients, which significantly affects your health state and well-being. That’s why it’s so essential to develop the habit of eating healthily from the very beginning. Being a parent, you can show your children proper eating habits. As you know, kids learn mostly through imitation, and they are the most vulnerable to following some behavior patterns existing in their surroundings. If the only thing they observe is eating fast food by their siblings or peers, they’ll be more likely to eat such food rather than fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals. And this is the role of parents who should keep an eye on their children’s diet, and if need be, emphasize the need for eating nutritious meals, with fresh vegetables. Although it could be a daunting task, here are some tricks you can use to encourage your children to eat more healthily.
Set an example for your children
Remember that you’re the first role model for your children, and you should set the right example for them. Thus, eating vegetables in their company with a smile on your face can be the initial step to take. By showing them you enjoy vegetables, and they can be as tasty as sweets or salty snacks, you make your kids more willing to eat them. If they try such snacks between meals, you can casually mention that vegetables bring many health benefits, keeping the doctor away. It’s essential to make your kids aware since their childhood. The earlier they take to veggies, the better for them.
Diversify your diet
Except for encouraging children to eat vegetable snacks at school, you can also diversify your diet, incorporating more vegetables to your regular meals. Do you love chicken? Ok, but add the salad or grilled vegetables to it. And don’t worry that you’ll overdose them since researchers recommend eating from five to even nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
However, if you’re hard-working and you don’t have enough time to prepare home-cooked meals every day, don’t allow your kids to order pizza every second day. Don’t buy junk food from fast-food restaurants on your way home, either. Instead, choose one of the home meal delivery services. Some people wonder why to use Freshly. The answer is simple- to have a delicious, healthy home-made meal for you and your whole family. All you need is only to pick together with your kids, one of over 30 meals available on the menu. You don’t have to worry about its quality. The food is prepared by qualified chefs, and always delivered fresh, never frozen. That’s also an excellent option for all those who suffer from any gastric problems. For example, there are many gluten-free meals. Such a method is excellent to encourage your children to eat healthily, even if they’re usually so picky about food.
Engage children into cooking
If you’re, instead, a housewife, who has lots of time to cook, then engage children into cooking as well. Not only will they explore new ingredients and tastes, but most of all, they’ll have a lot of fun in the kitchen. And that’s your point- teaching them through play. During that fun activity, they’ll probably remember more than they’ve managed to learn at kindergarten or school. Even if they are too small to cook, they can always help you at particular stages of preparing meals, when you can explain to them how important it is to include fruits and vegetables in their daily diet.
Create funny meals
If all these tricks don’t work, you can try creating funny meals, with kid-sized vegetables hidden in the fridge. When children are hungry, they’ll probably discover them on their own. Be creative. There are so many ideas on the Internet that you can use on a daily basis. Your breakfast doesn’t have to be boring. Make some creatures or animals from your vegetables or funny sandwiches with eyes and mouth made out of radish, cucumber, and a pepper. Even your partner will be more willing to eat such a fun meal.
Eat together
Finally, find more time to celebrate all the meals together with your children. Teach them that eating can unite people. It’s the time when you can not only relieve your hunger but also talk about your day and share their thoughts and problems with family members. When you eat together, as a parent, you also have higher chances of monitoring your kids’ eating habits, and any changes in their diet so that you could react soon enough.
Eating more vegetables can become part and parcel of your children’s daily routine. If you’re organized enough, it’ll be pure pleasure for you to enthuse them with healthy eating habits. It all depends on your attitude. If you’re positive about a healthy diet, so do your kids.
Daria Skutecka
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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