Getting your child to eat can be a task all in itself. Getting your child to eat healthy is a whole other difficult task!
It is best to start them young with healthy food. Our children eat all organic, plant based foods. It is easy to get them to eat this way because they have never known any different. They have adapted to craving only healthy foods. Once a child has been introduced to unhealthy foods, such as candies or fried foods, it is harder to stray them from that path. The brain and body begin craving these foods and because our society is so geared towards fast convenient foods, they are readily available and hard to avoid. Our supermarkets are set up in a way that promotes the consumption of unhealthy items and when our kids don’t know better, it is very easy for them to succumb to temptation.
The best way to raise a kid who loves to eat healthy is to never introduce them to unhealthy foods. This is much easier said than done though! You have to be a somewhat strict parent in order to only eat healthy foods. For my family, we are very strict on what we eat because we are also very educated on how your lifestyle choices really have a dramatic effect on your long term health. We understand that if we want to live long, healthy and productive lives we have to fuel ourselves with foods that will allow us to do so. The most important aspect here is teaching your children the reasoning behind your food choices. Our kids all know that eating healthy helps make you healthy. They watched their uncle pass away from cancer and we have always taught them that sickness can be caused if you choose to eat unhealthy products and not take care of your body.
Instill Good Morals in Your Kids at Any Opportunity
It is very important to instill good morals in your children from the start of their life. You also have to be consistent. It takes effort to eat as healthy as we do, but it is definitely within reach of every family. On birthdays, it’s a good idea to make organic sugar free snacks and great food made from scratch. We have invented a lot of our own recipes to make foods that resemble their counterparts but are healthier in nature.
There is a lot of pressure from outside sources, such as school or daycare, to allow your child to have treats. You have to be careful though, as these “sometimes” treats turn into a piece of candy for every good thing they do, every special occasion, and before you know it, their lives can be filled with snacks everyday that don’t contribute to their well being.
Our children have been taught from a young age that the food they eat needs to be organic, and healthy for them. Organic candies are available, and just because it is organic does not mean it is necessarily healthy. In order to teach your child about healthy choices, you as a parent need to be informed about healthy choices. This can be done through a simple college course in nutrition or even from self research online.
Converting From an Unhealthy Lifestyle
I grew up eating fast food everyday, as well as drinking cases of soda and thinking that kool-aid was healthy for me. These habits were instilled in me from my parents, who did not understand much about healthy choices.
To break out of this cycle is the hardest thing to do! When you have grown up eating these foods, the chemical makeup of your brain permits fierce cravings for these foods that is hard to overcome. This is why I mentioned avoiding this previously, as getting a child to change their habits is a very hard feat to conquer, but it is possible.
In order to change unhealthy habits into healthy ones it takes many baby steps that will eventually add up to a new lifestyle. If you are trying to change your children’s habits, you have to go slow. A great idea is to substitute the soda in their lunch box for a healthy juice drink, then once they overcome the cravings for soda, start implementing a lot more water than anything else. Juices can be very sugary and almost as bad as soda if you don’t choose the right juices. Try an organic apple juice that is 100% juice with no added sugars. My children love apple juice!
There are also a lot more different kinds of juices that can be drank, such as grape and orange juice. Whatever the juice is, just make sure it is not loaded with sugar.
Another idea to start implementing healthy foods is to replace candy snacks for whole food snacks, such as carrots and hummus. At first, your child may be reluctant to eat these but over a period of time their taste buds will change and they will start to enjoy and actually prefer these healthier options.
Another great idea is to start making a lot of your family meals together. This gets the kids involved in the process and subliminally instill an appreciation into them. My kids love to help in the kitchen, and they love it even more eating a tasty meal that they feel proud of helping prepare.
In summary, the easiest option is to raise your kids to eat healthy from the get go. This will get them accustomed to healthy eating without them knowing their is a whole world of nasty temptations that can harm their health. Of course, as they grow up, they will be exposed to a lot of these unhealthy items but they will already be so used to healthy foods that they will be less likely to venture out and create bad habits.
If your child is one that refuses to eat healthy, it is up to the parent to create tasty foods that are also healthy. It is very possible to change food choices but you have to be diligent and consistent. I know, because i’ve been in the same situation! Successful healthy eating is always within reach; a little extra effort and a lot of spices can go a long way.
AUTHOR’S BIO: DANIEL CHABERT
A Danes writer and entrepreneur. His background in journalism and parenting has given him a base from to write many topics. He enjoys writing reviews and recommendation sites such as Born Cute, That Sweet Gift, Nicer Shoes and Motorful.
