#STEEMGIGS: How to Encourage Children for Eating Healthy

I have three children and I find it hard to encourage them eat healthy foods because nowadays there are lots of gadgets and gimmicks that interfere their attention until they loose appetite of eating even though gadgets have also educational advantages to them.

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Here are my suggestions on how to encourage them eating healthy:

Be realistic and mindful to your kids.

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Most children do not like to spend too much time eating in the table. Be sure to serve healthy foods and creating art on the foods so that it will look appetizing. Children have also a keener sense of smell and taste. Do not let them spit out foods they don’t like. Try to explain that it’s healthy and that it will make them beautiful and intelligent. Give them different menu in each meal so that they will be introduced to a wide variety of foods and for them to become not picky. Do not force kids to eat food they don’t like because it will only increase their dislike on the said foods. Just make some stories about the food and make it fun. For sure you know how to make fun with your children.

Give your children the freedom to choose.

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Offer limited choices of what your children wanted to eat. Give them an option that you can make, available to your budget and acceptable to you. If they don’t want to choose, calm down and move-on. Invite their cooperation in preparing a meal. It will help them to learn basics in life such as cooperation and decision-making. It will also create strong family bonding.

Be a role model.

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Children will learn good eating habits from the people around them. You, as a parent, should be a role model to eat healthy foods. Eating together with the same foods will encourage them to try the foods we are eating. Talk about the kind of foods you are currently eating and appreciate how delicious and healthy it is. Stay calm when your children don’t like the taste. Explain to them how blessed they are to eat a lot of foods that makes them healthy compare to unfortunate children.

Bottom Line:

Do not give up if your children are too picky. Sometimes, children need multiple exposures to newly introduced foods before they fully liked it. Teaching them eating healthy habits early even the youngest will make them wise in making food choices.

Thank you,

Arwin