Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home

As parents, we have the enormous privilege of shaping our children's future. This is also true for their future health outcome. What we feed our children the first ten years of their lives has a tremendous impact on whether they will suffer from chronic disease later in adulthood. Modeling good eating habits and providing a diet rich in whole, plant foods builds a strong foundation for a life time of healthy living. Many times, though, children need a little encouragement to eat those green vegetables.

If you are finding this to be true in your family, Dr. Michael Greger's video offers some suggestions. Some of the clever ideas show that children can easily be influenced to eat their vegetables with some simple tricks like using cute stickers, cutting veggies in pretty shapes, dipping them in peanut butter, or creating tasty salad dressing dips, and sometimes hiding the veggies in meals. Of course children also need frequent exposure to vegetables, that are not hidden in foods in order to begin to like them. 

The most important factor in children's fruit and vegetable consumption has to do with the behavior that we ourselves model for them. If we don't like vegetables, how can we expect our children to like them? And, if we love our vegetables, the chances are that our children will also learn to love them. So, as you are thinking of great ways to show love to your children today, don't forget to also show them that you love your vegetables!

(1) Instilling Healthy Eating Habits In Children

(2) 9 Ways to Enhanced School Performance

(3) Junk Food Promotes Lower IQ Scores