Top 10 healthy eating tips for your child

Want your child to eat healthy food? Healthy eating is not only important for a child’s physical development. Other benefits of eating healthy food include helping a child maintain a healthy weight, improving their mood and combating health problems. Getting a child to eat healthy food can be a struggle. Whether it is down to picky eating or a liking for a sweet treat, many parents face a daily battle when it comes to finding a balance in their child’s diet.

If you’re wondering how to get your child to eat better, some tips to help you.

1. Plan meals in advance

• Planning and sticking to what food your child will eat during the day or even the week will make everything much easier. Helping you to plan your food shop and avoiding the temptation of takeaways or other junk food.
• When planning your menu, ensure that each meal is nutritionally balanced and includes the protein, carbs, fibre and fats that your child needs to develop.
• Depending on their age, you could also involve your child in the menu planning, using an everyday task as an opportunity to spark their imagination and teach them about different food.

2. Create routines

• Most children thrive when following a routine. When it comes to eating, serving them meals or giving them snacks at set intervals of two to four hours will help them to get into a habit of eating similar things at certain points of the day. This also helps to balance out their energy levels. 
• We can all get a bit moody when we are hungry and when energy levels are low; putting routines in place will help you manage your child’s behaviour and reduce the pressure on you to find them something to eat.

3. Be realistic about healthy eating

As with any long-term goal, taking a realistic approach to healthy eating will help to avoid you feeling like you have failed.

There’s bound to be times when the dinner you’ve planned doesn’t work out, or you run out of time and need to reach for something quick to put in the oven.

If you feel like you’re not on track:

• Don’t beat yourself up. There’s so much for parents to remember. Not every day will go as you planned.
• Avoid talking negatively about certain food around your child. Words like ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’ can have the opposite of the intended effect. It can cause children to crave the food more and set the foundations for unhealthy eating habits in the future.
• Remember that the best goal is to encourage your child to eat a varied diet, not cut out certain food groups. Everything in moderation is a good motto to go by.

4. Lead by example with healthy food

• Most children are better at imitating what they see rather than doing what they are told. Setting a good example is often the best way to teach children positive habits. So if you want your kids to eat vegetables, you should show them that you do as well.
• Cooking at home rather than eating out is a good habit to get into. It means you have more control over what goes into the food and can talk to your child about what you’re preparing.
• Eating together as a family is a great opportunity for you to lead by example whilst also making dinner time a social event.

5. Involve your child in cooking

• When looking at how to encourage children to eat healthy food, consider involving them in the cooking process. This is a great opportunity to teach them about food and can be a fun activity for you to do together.
• Finger food is a good option as children tend to enjoy the mess and mixing different flavours. For example, variations of pizza are endless and lets your child create something on their own.
• Involving your children in cooking also enables you to offer them choices. If they feel as if they have more options over what they eat, they may be more interested in trying new things.

6. Be creative when adding vegetables to meals

• Children are often suspicious of food they have not tried before, especially if they are particularly fussy eaters. To get around this, try to add healthy foods to meals they already like.
• For example, you can mash vegetables into mashed potato, pasta sauces and soup, add broccoli to mac and cheese or give a tasty dipping sauce alongside carrot or cucumber sticks.
• Sneaking healthy foods into things your child enjoys eating is a really good way to improve their diet, especially if they are not yet able to understand why eating healthy food is important. 

7. Introduce new foods slowly

• Children can be picky eaters and often need time to get used to new flavours before they like them. To get around this, only offer new food to your child when you know they are hungry and only give one new food at a time.
• By doing it this way, you can slowly introduce your child into healthy eating habits without it being forced. Start with a small portion and if they like it, you can always grab a second plate. If they don’t like something initially, try a few more times to see if they change their mind.

8. Offer healthy snacks

• Children love snacks and they are a great way to keep your little ones’ energy levels balanced throughout the day. However, it is really easy to get into unhealthy snacking habits.
• A good way to ensure your child eats healthily between bigger meals is to limit their access to things you ideally want them to eat less of, such as cookies and crisps. It is easier to convince your child to eat a few slices of apple or other fresh fruit, if there are no alternative options.
• A healthy snack is a good way to introduce your child to new foods as they come in smaller portions. Try to make sure the snacks are rich in protein and fibre to keep them fuller for longer.
• When it comes to your child’s diet, don’t beat yourself up for offering them a less healthy option from time to time. Whether you’re out and about and struggling to find an alternative, or chocolate is simply the only way to calm them down, establishing good habits is about finding a balance. There are bound to be times when a few slices of apple just won’t cut it. 

9. Avoid forcing your child to eat healthily

• Try to inspire your child to eat something rather than forcing it. Providing your child with a choice is an important part of encouraging them to eat better.
• It’s a good idea to focus less on specific foods and more on their overall diet to make sure it is balanced. For example, if your child simply refuses to eat green beans, encourage them to try another type of vegetable instead.
• It is unlikely that your child will love everything they try – just like adults. Some food has an acquired taste and over time, they may change their mind, but if they don’t, there are always more options.

10. Learn about food together

• Learning about food can have a huge influence on children. Encouraging your child to become more adventurous when it comes to trying new food can build a positive relationship with food.
• You could spark your child’s interest by visiting a farmers’ market to let them pick the food themselves. Why not bring your child with you to the shop and talk about the different produce as you walk around.
• Children are naturally curious so allow them to experiment with and explore a variety of foods and flavours.

Who knows? If you follow these tips, they may even be asking for a second portion of broccoli!