Sunday, September 4, 2011

Keeping Kids In A Healthy Track.

Trying to keep children in a healthy eating track can be very difficult. What they want- sweets, sugary snacks, junk foods etc . Getting them to eat healthy meal, sugar free snacks,  can be very difficult, stressful and time consuming- but ultimately worth it.
Starting the kids early with a variety of healthy recipes helps the child develop into a healthy adult and it also helps the child not to be a picky eater. Children don't like it when new recipe is being introduced. They always want to stick to their old recipes, but we all know is not possible. Remember does old recipes they want to stick with, was once a new recipe. All you need to do is to keep persisting. But i found out that there are some certain food a child will never ever eat no matter how hard you try. I also observed that sometimes kids grow up eating veggies and fruits but at a certain point in their life they stop eating them  for no reason and pick up later.  In our house when i was growing up, my mother tried so much to make me drink oatmeal but it didn't work for her, yet she didn't give up, she persisted to be serving that to me until i started drinking it. Since then  i still enjoy my oatmeal  like never before.

Below are some few tips that helped me introduced veggies and fruits to my kids and hope it works for you:
* Introduce fruits and veggies as early as possible in the child's  life. Especially when is time to introduce solid  after breast feeding. ( mashed/purees)
* Planning meals, cooking with the kids, and buying the food stuffs with them helps by promoting a positive attitude to a healthy diet.
* Prepare the child's favorite meal with lots of vegetables. The child might reject it for the first time, but ends up liking it the second time.
* Do not force the child to eat the meal.
* Avoid spanking/threatening  the child to eat a particular meal
* Try as much as possible to let him/her know how proud you would be if he/she eats the veggies/fruits.
* Allowing kids to eat alone in this issue is not encouraging, is recommended you eat with them in that way it gives them more appetite and joy.
* Always tell them positive stories about veggies/fruits.
* Allow them to get involved  in setting the dinning table.
The kids will make some changes if small goals are set for them, in that way they know how to eat well for good health throughout life. If you have any other tips that worked for your kids, we would love to hear from you.

18 comments:

Lexie Lane said...

I really like this. Great tips! Also very encouraging for the kids too. These are definitely good ways to help us get our kids to eat them veggies! Thank you!

Gloria said...

I love reading your blog post because you are always on point. I'm a facebook fan.

May said...

You are welcome Lexie. Wishing you a happy new week.

May said...

Gloria thanks for enjoying my post.

Nekky said...

I can't believe less. You made all the points. As a mother, I know the importance of healthy nutrition but getting the kids to eat them as much as I want is another huddle.

Anonymous said...

excellent points! This is a hot topic in my house right now with my daughter having some low weight issues due to a medicine she is on , and me trying to boost her weight without having to resort with the usual "fattening" unhealthy foods so this was a great read for me right now! tysm for sharing :)

Michelle Brown said...

Great post. Yesterday, we went out to eat after church, and the waitress gave me a strange look when my daughter ordered her food and asked for broccoli. The waitress said, "No, but I can get you fries." My daughter made a face and then asked for a salad instead.

Visiting from the blog hop!

May said...

The Betty Projects thanks for your comment and i tried to visit you but there was no link.@ Michelle i know exactly what you are talking about. The waitress will be so amazed to see a little girl ordered broccoli unlike kids we have nowadays.

Cheryl@OntheOldPath said...

Hi I am always trying to find fun new ways to get fruits and veg into my kids. Found your blog on Monday blog hop and I am following along hope you can pop by and follow along too.

Nan ~ Playful Decor said...

Hi May, Great tips! My hub and I were just talking talking about how lucky we are that our kids like vegies. I'm a new follower from your Monday hop. These tips would be great if you'd like to guest post at my blog. I have a 5 Tips Friday series, if you can pick the best 5. btw, I also have a kids room decor party on Tuesdays if you have any kids decor. Look forward to hearing from you - nice to meet you!

May said...

Thanks everyone for your comments. @ Nan i will let you know when I'm ready for guest posting. Thank you so much for the offer.

Kandice Breinholt said...

your blog header is so cute! i love it.

and those are some helpful tips! i just might have to bookmark them for the later years ;)

new follower! sent over from the reflexions blog hop :)

This Mom's Heart said...

I was blessed with good little eaters, but I have definitely learned a few tricky moments. They were started out with veggies when we started solids, so they all like (most of) them- but my 3-year-old (youngest child- WHY are they always the hardest??) is the most picky- where my other two will eat it even if they don't like it, he will happily refuse to eat any dinner at all. We have a one-bite-of-everything rule, but if they don't like it after their one bite, no problem. We do NOT make another meal for them (this isn't a restaurant!) and they don't get dessert (not hungry for dinner, not hungry for extras!). They are also never allowed to complain about food that someone has prepared for them. Otherwise, we pick our battles. :) We really try not to fight about food, and my kids manage to make pretty good choices about what they eat.
Found you on the vB Members to Remember!

May said...

This mom's heart you said exactly what i have in mind. My 3yrs old was a good veggie eater all of a sudden he started backsliding and i hope he gets back on track. I can't stop lol when you said (this isn't a restaurant!) and also when you said this (not hungry for dinner, not hungry for extras!) You are damn right. Thank you so much for contributing to this topic.

May said...

Kandace thanks for your compliments.

Krisha@pediatric emr said...

I found your blog very informative; this would really help parents there. Thanks for sharing this post.

Renee Sullivan said...

I love your blog post. You know how much I enjoy nutrition!
Parents will really appreciate this.

May said...

Thanks everyone for your contributions. Wishing you all a beautiful weekend.

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