Has dinner time become your least favorite time of day? Whether your kids are turning up their noses at the salad you’ve prepared or begging for chicken nuggets instead, getting your kids to eat healthy can be a daunting challenge.  

Nutrition is important for young kids. But teaching kids about healthy eating isn’t a simple task. 

If you push too hard, you could turn mealtimes into lectures, which could backfire in the worst kind of way. But if you wait too long, they could pick up unhealthy habits that will be hard to drop.  

If you want to teach your child about nutrition in a way that leaves them with a healthy respect for their bodies, this is the guide for you. These 7 tips can help you put your child on a healthier path—no begging or bribing required.

1. Make Healthy Eating a Routine

Instead of making healthy eating in your household a rule, make it a routine. 

Make sure healthy foods are included with every meal—and mix it into your family’s day to day life.

For example, you can take your kids with you to the grocery store. Let them pick out some of their favorite fruits and veggies. Older kids can also help you choose recipes and put together a shopping list for the whole family.

2. Don’t Ban Foods From the Household

Outright banning foods from your household can be counterproductive. While it’s fine to restrict foods that might cause dietary complications or allergy concerns, banning food simply for being unhealthy could completely backfire.

If you refuse to allow your child to eat ice cream or chips, their personal cravings will only grow. This means they might resort to overeating these foods in secret—or they’ll eat way too much once they leave the house. 

Instead, teach your children about proper portion control. Let them eat treats at an appropriate time—like after they’ve eaten their dinner, at the end of the school week, or as a reward for an accomplishment.

3. Let Them Make Their Own Choices

When teaching your kid about eating healthy, it’s important that you give them control over their own plate. 

By giving them a measure of independence, you’re teaching them to make the right choice—even when you’re not there. To encourage healthy choices, give them a wide range of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and calcium-rich foods to choose from.

If you start early by offering them healthy choices and letting them choose for themselves, they’ll eventually learn how to manage their own plate without your help.

4. Be Smart With Your Snacks

Even if you’re preparing healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, it’s important to be smart with your snacks. Many types of snacks for kids—like cheesy crackers or pizza rolls—are weighed down with large amounts of fat and sugar. 

Instead, offer a healthy range of snacks that can satisfy your child’s cravings and help them develop healthy eating habits. Here are some healthy snack options you can put together: 

  • Whole-grain crackers with cheese
  • Apple slices with peanut butter (or nut butter)
  • Peanuts, cashews, or almonds
  • Celery sticks with hummus
  • Baby carrots
  • Baked chickpeas
  • Kale chips
  • Lightly salted popcorn

5. Talk About Size

It’s not always about the foods your child puts in their body, but how much. Even foods that are part of a balanced diet can become unhealthy if the portion sizes are too large. 

Start talking about the basics of portion sizes. For example, using smaller plates can help encourage smaller overall portion sizes for meals. Rice or pasta can be nutritious, but the amount should match the size of their fist. 

When you buy packaged food, look for the portion size on the label and talk to your child about how important it is to stick to it.

6. Don’t Count Calories

Even if you’re pushing your child to eat healthier or lose weight, it’s important that you don’t make it into a numbers game.

By counting calories, you might be teaching your child to start calculating how much they eat every day. Not only is this unsustainable, but this could set your child up for an unhealthy relationship with their bodies—or even a future eating disorder. 

Instead, encourage your child to make healthier diet choices and exercise every day. Combining healthy meals with the right exercises for kids can help put your child on the right path for a healthier future.

7. Don’t Call Foods “Good” or “Bad” 

When talking to your child about food, don’t use moralizing terms like “good” or “bad.” The last thing you want is for your kid to develop an unhealthy view of the foods they eat—counting their calories and obsessing over every french fry they eat. 

Instead, you can use the traffic light system to categorize food.

Green foods, like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, should be eaten every day. Yellow foods are still pretty healthy, but shouldn’t be eaten every day, like lean meats or pancakes. Red foods shouldn’t be off-limits, but they should be eaten infrequently, like ice cream or fried foods.

Teaching Kids About Healthy Eating

Now that you know a few strategies on how to get your kids to eat healthier meals, it’s time to put them to good use. 

Teaching kids about healthy eating is about more than setting strict rules or counting the calories of every meal. It’s about creating healthier eating habits that they can maintain throughout their lives. 

Looking for more tips for a better household and a better life? Take a look at our lifestyle tips for more! 

Julia Dupuis wrote this article on behalf of FreeeUp. This is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. to get access to the top freelancers in the world.     

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