Children are usually picky eaters. Unfortunately, this behavior often causes children to refuse to eat healthy foods. However, making children want to eat healthy food does not have to be drastic. Setting a good example, teaching healthy habits, providing the right dishes, and listening to children's opinions are very important to educate children to adopt a healthy diet.
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Method 1 of 3: Applying Healthy Eating Patterns to Children
Step 1. Explain to your child the importance of eating healthy foods
Give simple explanations about nutrition so that children can understand why healthy foods need to be eaten. You'd be surprised how quickly children understand certain explanations, especially when they relate to a child's interests:
- Protein contained in chicken, fish, and nuts are important for the formation of muscles and organs for the body to grow strong.
- Carbohydrate contained in rice, pasta, and whole-grain breads provide the energy that is essential for movement and activity. Whole grains provide more energy than white bread and refined (manufactured) sugar.
- Vegetables and fruits contains vitamins and minerals that are important to help the performance of the eyes, ears, and brain and prevent the body from falling ill.
Step 2. Learn about the nutritional needs of children
Each child's nutritional needs are different, depending on age. The following rough guide is provided by the Mayo Clinic for children ages 9-13. The nutritional needs of girls are usually lower (with values around the lower estimated limit) than boys (with values around the upper estimated limits):
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Calories:
1.400-2.600
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Proteins:
120-180 g
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Fruits:
360-480 g
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Vegetables:
360-840 g
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Grains:
150-270 g
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Dairy products:
600-720 g
- The above estimates can be used to help determine the relative amount of food needed. While it doesn't have to be strictly measured, your child may need to eat about 50% more whole grains than protein, for example.
Step 3. Learn how to create a nutritionally balanced meal plan for your child
Healthy and delicious meal plans for kids don't have to be complicated. Just make sure the meal plan you make is nutritionally balanced. For example, 2-3 simple dishes are enough for dinner. A nutritionally balanced meal plan should consist of:
- Carbohydrates from whole grains, such as bread, pasta, or rice.
- Sources of protein, such as beans, chicken, or fish.
- Vegetables and fruits.
Step 4. Make sure your child eats 3-4 meals each day and snacks between meals
Make sure your child starts the day with a nutritious breakfast, then eats a healthy snack every 1-2 hours. If you feel hungry, the child usually becomes fussy. A fussy child may be reluctant to try new foods or ones that don't look delicious. If you stay full throughout the day, your child may want to try new foods.
Children should eat breakfast every day to activate their metabolism and get energy so they can do well in school
Step 5. Make a list of healthy foods that you know your child likes
This is a great way to start creating a healthy eating plan and incorporating new healthy foods into your child's diet. For example, you know that your child loves tomatoes. So that children want to eat other healthy foods, start with a tomato salad, then include a little carrot or cucumber. Thus, children slowly want to eat other healthy foods.
Make a list of foods that your child doesn't like. Do not serve the food at the start of the meal. Seeing one food that you don't like can make your child refuse other foods that go with it
Step 6. Stop the habit of buying fast food
Fast food should be consumed only on special occasions. Parents have the authority to determine what food is in the house. If fast food is not available at home, the child will not be able to eat it. Instead of sweets and sweets, serve healthy snacks, such as fruit, pretzels, and hummus. Although you don't have to completely avoid processed/fast food, eliminating temptation can reduce your child's desire to eat these foods.
- Make a homemade dessert with your child. For example, make a simple cake or chocolate chip cookie. This method can provoke a child's interest in food-related things and turn sweets into activities, not everyday meals.
- Research has shown that "banning" certain foods actually increases children's desire to eat these foods. Don't completely ban the consumption of sweet/fast/processed food, but just set it as an “occasional meal”.
Step 7. Provide a variety of healthy food options for children
Telling children to eat apples can cause children to lose their appetite. On the other hand, asking the child to choose one of several options (for example, ask the child what he wants: grapes, apples, bananas, or oranges?) makes the child excited and feel in control. The more often you ask your child to choose healthy foods, the more excited they will be to eat them.
Step 8. Introduce only one new food each day
Pair new foods with 1-2 of your child's favorite foods that you already know. Thus, the child does not lose his appetite and is more willing to try new foods. Also, this way, if after tasting a new food it turns out that your child doesn't like it, he can go back to eating his favorite food.
Method 2 of 3: Coping with Picky Food Behavior in Children
Step 1. Involve children in making meal plans
This is one of the best ways to get kids excited about eating healthy foods. This method makes children feel choose, not forced, to eat food. Have your child choose one of the dishes for dinner each day, help make a shopping list, or help with simple things while cooking, such as mixing or stirring.
- Pay attention to what foods your child is aiming for at the store. Give the child a reward for helping.
- If your child seems interested, challenge him to come up with a balanced, nutritious meal plan for himself. Make a table for the seven days of the week with columns for protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits. Let children choose their own food for each category.
- Offer teens and older the opportunity to choose and cook one dinner each day. Tell him that you will eat whatever he makes, as long as he does the same.
Step 2. Enroll the child in a camp program/extracurricular activity related to cooking, agriculture or food
Today, there are many holiday camp programs and food-related extracurricular activities. This is a great way to introduce your child to healthy food without having to do it yourself. Children will be more willing to try new things if they do it with friends. Children will also feel proud because they can show you various recipes and nutritional knowledge gained from the camp program/extracurricular activities. Look for information in local communities or on the internet about various food-related activities that children can participate in.
Step 3. Include healthy ingredients in your child's favorite dishes
Vegetables can be quietly included in almost any dish. Puree or chop vegetables, then include them in children's favorite dishes so that children consume important vitamins and minerals as often as possible. Try some of these ideas:
- Add chopped onions, broccoli, bell peppers, and spinach to your quesadilla or mac & cheese.
- Include calcium-rich fruits and yogurt in your smoothie.
- Include thin slices of eggplant, bell pepper, pumpkin, or zucchini in your lasagna.
Step 4. Make the dish interesting
The smiley-faced dish, even though it was made of peas, looked far more attractive than just a pile of wet green balls. Use a small amount of food coloring to make "eggs and green ham" or "blue spaghetti squash." While it doesn't have to be complicated, healthy food is easier for kids to eat if it's hidden in an interesting dish.
- Tell your child the names of exotic and interesting foods, such as papaya, mango, zucchini, and mustard greens.
- Cut vegetables into various interesting shapes.
- Ask the child to taste the dish to "check the texture" before the dish is served at the dinner table.
- Let the child explore. Ask your child how to cook certain foods or explain where certain foods come from.
Step 5. Don't provide other dish options for the child
Don't indulge your child's fussiness by making a separate dish just for the child. You have to be firm and maintain the healthy dishes that you have made and served at the dinner table. If you keep making separate dishes just for the kids, your kids will think that the healthy dishes you've made before are not important. As a result, children will increasingly believe in picky eating behavior. Make only one dish and stick to it.
You can still provide choices regarding that one dish. For example, if you're cooking spaghetti, ask your child to choose the condiment: red sauce or a little olive oil? Remember, make only one dish
Step 6. Serve the dish family style
Serve the dish at the dinner table. Let the child choose for himself instead of making separate dishes for the child or spooning all kinds of food contained in the dish on the child's plate. Children love the ability to make their own decisions and are likely to imitate your behavior. This method also allows the child to taste as many new foods as he wants; the child can take the same food again a second time if he likes.
- Ask your child to take at least all types of food, but allow him to determine the portion of each food.
- It's a good idea to take food for yourself first so your child can see how much of each food you're taking.
Step 7. Keep trying, but don't push
New healthy foods may need to be served 10-15 times before your child wants to taste them. So be patient. Do not scold or force the child. Negative actions, such as scolding or pushing, will only give your child bad memories of the food. As a result, children may become less likely to try other healthy foods in the future. Serve healthy food and ask the child to taste it. However, don't scold your child if he doesn't finish the food. Instead, say thank you for wanting to try, then serve up another dish.
Cook food in a variety of ways. For example, serve raw vegetables one day, steamed vegetables the next, and grilled vegetables the third. Teach children that different cooking methods produce dishes with different tastes and textures even though they use the same ingredients
Method 3 of 3: Making Healthy Foods That Appeal to Kids
Breakfast Menu
Step 1. Serve whole grains or high fiber, instead of processed cereal products
The best time to serve fiber foods is at breakfast. Because today there are many processed cereal products made from whole grains, children will not even realize the difference between whole grains and processed cereal products. Instead of processed cereal products, serve your child's favorite whole or high-fiber cereal.
Step 2. Make oatmeal with the child's choice of additives
Oatmeal is a great way to include fruit and yogurt or calcium-rich milk in the morning. Let your child add their favorite ingredients to the oatmeal. Examples of delicious foods that can be added to oatmeal include:
- Chocolate powder
- Slices of fresh fruit or dried fruit
- Geluk fruit (nuts)
- Agave nectar, honey, or natural sugar (a little)
- Cinnamon or various spices
Step 3. Make pancakes or waffles using whole wheat flour
Your child may not notice the difference between these pancakes/waffles and pancakes/waffles made from plain flour. Additional fiber that comes from whole wheat is very good for the body.
Step 4. Make a simple but varied breakfast dish by mixing granola, yogurt and fruit
Let the child choose their own type of yogurt, granola and fruit (various types of fruit can be used: from bananas and apples to mangoes and berries) to mix.
Lunch menu
Step 1. Make your own child's lunch box to ensure that the child eats delicious and nutritious food
It's a good idea to make a lunch menu plan with the child so that the child feels involved in determining the food he eats. A nutritious lunch menu for children consists of at least one type of fruit or vegetable, one type of cereal, and one type of protein source. Small desserts can also be included if your child wants to finish off the nutritious lunch you prepared.
Step 2. Buy bread made from whole wheat instead of regular wheat
For 1-2 weeks, you may not get used to eating whole wheat bread. However, your child will immediately love it after eating a few sandwiches made from whole wheat bread. Whole wheat bread is a staple of a healthy lunch menu because it can meet the body's fiber needs without excessive effects.
Step 3. Know what fruits your child likes
With a taste that is indeed sweet, fruits are one of the easiest healthy foods to include in the lunch menu. What is the child's favorite fruit? What fruit doesn't your child like? Get creative! For example, spoon a watermelon and put it in a tightly closed container for a child's lunch at school.
There are different types of apples. Kids will love having a “tasting party”; provide 3-5 types of apples for the child to taste so that he finds his favorite type of apple
Step 4. Ask the child to describe his “dream sandwich”
Make the sandwich healthier. What sauce should be used? What is the child's favorite meat or bread filling? After knowing your child's preferences, include healthier food ingredients.
- Melted tuna sandwich -- 1 can of tuna mixed with light mayo and black pepper and topped with a slice of cheese, a slice of tomato, and a slice of avocado, then toasted like a toasted cheese sandwich.
- Apple slices sandwiched with Peanut Butter and Jelly.
- Turkey or ham sandwich with thin slices of cucumber, lettuce, spinach, and/or tomatoes.
- Make spinach or tomato rolls instead of regular rolls.
Step 5. Instead of the “classic” lunch menu, prepare healthy dishes for your child's lunch
Can processed sweets be replaced with healthier foods, such as homemade cookies or jam rolls? What are the “most unhealthy” foods for lunch and what healthy foods can replace them? For example, pretzels, which are made by baking, are much healthier than a bag of chips even though the child may not know the fact.
Dinner menu
Step 1. Make healthy pizza
If you don't add too much cheese, pizza is actually a nutritionally balanced meal that is delicious and loved by children. Gradually, add healthy foods as pizza toppings. Also, make a “one special slice” pizza that has extra cheese. Allow your child to eat the “special cut” after trying other parts of the pizza.
- Brown the chopped onions, mushrooms, or bell peppers. The vegetables taste sweet after frying in a little oil for 10-12 minutes.
- Chopped spinach is almost undetectable once heated and shriveled.
Step 2. Mix the vegetables into the pasta dish
Make a red sauce by pureeing pumpkin, carrots, or peppers in a manual blender. Alternatively, stir-fry the zucchini and chopped onions and add them to the pasta dish before serving. The taste will be no different from a regular pasta dish and the addition of these vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet.
Using pasta made from whole grains can increase fiber intake
Step 3. Bake the vegetables so they have a potato-like texture
Grilled vegetables are the most popular vegetable dish for children. Toast parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, sugar beets, pumpkin, and brussels sprouts, seasoned with a little olive oil and salt, in the oven on high for a crunchy side dish.
Step 4. Instead of frying, grill the chicken breast
Various types of food are actually healthier when baked than fried. Frying requires a lot of oil so that it increases the levels of fat and cholesterol contained in the food. On the other hand, baked goods are healthier and are generally preferred by children.
Food is usually healthier when it's baked than fried
Step 5. Invite children to season food ingredients
This way allows children to feel involved in making dinner dishes. Before seasoning food ingredients, call the child and ask the child to smell the various spices. Which spices do children like? Which spices do you usually mix? The child can then make their own spice mixture so that the taste of the chicken/fish dish that is produced is according to the child's taste.
Remind your child that a small pinch of seasoning is enough to make the dish taste delicious
Snack
Step 1. Create a trail mix
Trail mix, which can be made according to taste and has a sweet taste, is a practical snack for children who are picky eaters. The trail mix usually consists of:
- Cereals
- Granola
- Dried fruits
- Geluk fruit
- A little chocolate
Step 2. Make your own hummus
Hummus is a great source of protein. In addition, vegetable puree can also be mixed into hummus. To make hummus, all you need is chickpeas, oil and a food processor.
Add salt, pepper, herbs, and spices to taste
Step 3. Make bean dip from cheese/salsa salsa
Bean dip contains protein so this snack is filling and not too salty. Plus, kids will love eating bean dip with toasted tortilla chips because it tastes like fast food.
Step 4. Buy “individual” packaged yogurt specifically for children
Let the child choose the yogurt flavor as desired. Make sure your child knows that the yogurt is theirs. Children will enjoy having their own food and may want to eat it.
As much as possible, buy healthy foods with “individual” packaging. This method allows children to feel in control and more enthusiastic about eating healthy foods
Step 5. Prepare fruits and vegetables to go with a healthy dip
Apples and celery go well with peanut butter. Raw peppers, cucumbers, and carrots go well with hummus. Children are more likely to want to eat healthy food if they are immersed in a delicious dish.
