Eating Healthy - How to Get Your Kids Involved

1. I've dealt with my fair share of picky eaters through all the years of nannying, and let me tell you I have learned some tricks along the way! We could go the route where we sneak spinach into everything without the kids knowing, or we could be honest and get them to LOVE what they eat!
2. Here are a few tips I have learned along the way to get your kids to not only eat healthy, but getting involved in the process.
3. Sit down and create a food schedule together. Kids love routine and they love creating schedules, lists, or anything that lets them get involved. Make a weekly schedule of your meals with only a few rules: one veggie and one fruit must be included in two meals for the day.
4. Eat what your children are eating. Don't get into the habit of making multiple meals a day! You can't tell your children to eat healthy if you are not eating meals with them and modeling good behavior.
5. Use a two bite rule. Maybe your kids will REALLY hate broccoli, and that's fine. They can get their nutrients from other vegetables. Each new food that is introduced needs a two bite rule. If they seriously dislike it after two bites, then there is no need to finish the meal. You want them to enjoy their food, not dread it!
6. Let the kids help you shop. Involving the kids during grocery shopping can help them understand where the food they eat comes from. It's also fun for them to pick out the food so they feel that they've made that choice.
7. Cook together. Along with shopping together, let your kids throw on an apron and get dirty in the kitchen. When children feel that they are helping with their food prep, they are more willing to eat it because it's something they have made.
8. Make a list of foods they enjoy, and foods they really dislike. It's okay to not like every single food we eat, but we should communicate which ones we truly dislike. Make it a habit to stick with the two bite rule and introduce foods they have previously disliked a few weeks or month later to see if their taste buds have changed.

By Heather Beckman
Source : http://ezinearticles.com/