Making your child eat healthy!

Creative ways to make your kid eat the right stuff!

We all know how important the role of nutrition is, especially in the early years of your child’s growth. Unfortunately, it is becoming an increasingly rare sight to see your child happily finish that plate of healthy leafy greens, veggies, and fruits. Here are a few interesting ways to make meal time healthier for your kids:

Talk science to your kids: Don’t assume that such conversations will bore them. Get them excited about the How and Why of nutrition. Tell them why green veggies are good for them, or how eating carrots will help make their eyes better. Explain how proteins will make them stronger. Once they realise that everything that they eat can make them grow better, they would be keen on understanding the science behind the food.

Use healthier alternatives: There are healthy ways of satiating their junk cravings, right at home! For example: You can make a multigrain pancake with lots of fruit toppings, honey, and nuts. You can make burger at home using multigrain bread, fresh veggies, and cottage cheese for the patty. For pasta you can use veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, and capsicum and can use fresh tomatoes, carrots, and onions for the sauce. You can also incorporate eggs creatively along with many recipes.

Get innovative with presentation: If you manage to give children food in a colourful and attractive way, then it can make them more curious about the food. Instead of tossing up a salad, try turning the veggies into some animal. Instead of offering boring round pancakes, turn them into shapes like hearts, butterflies, etc.

Set an example: It is unfair to expect your child to eat that bowl of salad while you bite into your burger. Children often learn from the behaviour of their parents. So, try setting up an example and eating healthy meals yourself. Once your child sees that the other members of the family are also eating veggies and fruits, he or she will feel motivated to follow suit.

Let them grow their own veggies: You can especially do this with leafy greens. Help them see leafy greens such as spinach, fenugreek, coriander, etc. grow from a seed. Get them involved with the gardening process. If you have more space, you can also grow some carrots, beetroots, tomatoes, and more. Let the child collect things from the garden to be used in the recipe.

Making your child eat healthy things can be a daunting task but if you persevere with some creativity and cheeky ways, you are sure to make some progress!