A lot of toddlers and small children can be very finicky eaters. As a parent, you may find it difficult to convince your younger kids to eat healthy foods. It is especially important for your kids to eat healthy if they have a common skin condition such as eczema. The foods they eat affect their health, their skin, attitude, and energy. You may try bribing your kids to eat with toys, have endless battles at the dinner table, or give in and feed them cookies and candy. If you want your kids to eat healthy, here are some tips to get them to eat the foods that are good for them.
One of the best tips as a parent is to start your children young on healthy eating. When they are babies, feed them organic fruit and vegetable purees. When they start drinking juice, buy organic brands that do not add sugars or artificial substances. Your child will develop a pallet for healthy eating starting from the time they are a baby. It will be easier for you to feed your kids healthy fruits and vegetables. If you start feeding them sweet juices, processed foods, or candy than it can be hard later on to encourage them to eat healthier foods.
On the other hand, it is never too late to start eating healthy and organic if you and your kids are not already. Another great tip to get your kids to eat right is to involve them in the kitchen while you are cooking and grocery shopping. Encourage them to help you prepare dinner or snacks and to pick out food in the produce section. The produce section in the grocery store is a great place to teach your kids about healthy eating by naming fruits and vegetables. You can also teach them math and colors with the bright colored produce.
How you prepare food can make a difference when you introduce healthy food or encourage your kids to eat.
When you are preparing snacks, you can cut fruit in fun shapes or prepare vegetables like finger foods. When you are serving vegetables, sometimes it will help if you have dip or dressing. You can also serve apple slices with organic peanut butter or cheese, and it tastes really good. It can help if you let your kids choose what they want for a snack too. You can limit their choices to a few things such as fruit, vegetables, or cheese and crackers. If you have other healthy snack ideas you can have that as a choice as well.
Having your kitchen filled with healthy foods will set a good example, and your kids will see that you are a family of healthy eaters. If you have processed foods that are high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial ingredients you should replace the items with healthy organic products. Have your fridge filled with fruits and vegetables and raw milk and cheeses.