Sometimes feeding these kids reminds me of that old saying, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them eat anything other than dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.” Right? But the truth is, eating healthy as a family can be easier than you might think. Try these simple tips for quick results. (Number 3 even surprised me!)
- Always buy eggs. Over and over again, experts say eating a home-cooked dinner together is better for family relationships and our bodies too. When life gets too hectic for prepping a big roast beef dinner after work, try a simple pan of scrambled eggs. (Or roasted eggs with ham and cheese, or a frittata…) Never underestimate the ease (and value) of breakfast for dinner.
- Don’t forget plain fruit. All the squeeze and go fruit purees in the world will never be better than a simple piece of fruit. When the kids want a snack, pass ’em a banana, an apple, a peach. The less processed fruit is, the better it is for little bodies (How? Less sugar, more fiber and so on.).
- Shred your own cheese. Why does anything easy always have to come back to bite a busy mom in the bum? Unfortunately, this category now includes shredded cheese. I was pretty jazzed about how available this stuff is in US supermarkets after spending 4 years in Italy, until I found out that it’s only fluffy because of all the ground up wood chips in the packaging (and cheese isn’t the only thing). Buy your own block of cheese–read the label and avoid anything that says “cellulose”–and shred away.
- Serve veggies first. You know those last 20 minutes before dinner, the ones where your legs suddenly become a kid magnet and small people wrap themselves around your knees pleading for a piece of cheese? When things start to get frantic around the stove, I grab a couple small bowls and fill them with baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sliced zucchini, mini bell peppers or any other crunchy veggies I have on hand. Set them out and if you have die-hards at home, try a little dip too: 3 parts plain yogurt, 1 part Ranch dressing.
- Cycle through dessert night. Little kids are masters of learning the rules (and preaching them to each other). Since I have the world’s worst sweet tooth, I’m trying to lead these guys toward less sugar and eating dessert every night isn’t a habit I want to instill. So every night we rotate through one of three ways to finish dinner: 1. dessert night 2. fruit night 3. “no” night which means we don’t end the meal with a treat. Yes, they whine sometimes and yes, we occasionally lose track but in general, it’s a pretty easy cycle to start and stick with.
- Avoid serving the same food daily. The more food diversity you can get going, the better the kids’ bodies will feel and the easier it’ll be to introduce new foods and flavors going forward. But we’re not talking extreme measures here. In her super smart book, “It’s Not About the Broccoli”, Dina Rose suggests giving favorite foods a one-day break before serving them again and also serving beloved foods at different times of day. For example, if you have a cheese sandwich junky, serve him a cheese sandwich for lunch one day then take a break from cheese sandwiches on the next day. On the third day, try another cheese sandwich but maybe serve it for dinner instead of lunch. Small steps toward greater flexibility mean happier, healthier meals to come.
- Stick with small servings. We have all sorts of tiny plates, bowls and cups and even when we’re using regular plates, I serve small portions to all the kids. A couple of bites worth. They can eat what they want, decide if they’re full yet, and get more if they want to. Less food is wasted, the kids learn about listening to their bodies and I don’t have to cajole anyone into eating more of anything. (The same trick works for dessert too. I always serve ice cream in our small milk glasses. It works out to be about 1/4 cup which is plenty for someone who weighs 40 pounds.)
- Just skip the chips. Don’t buy them. In fact, nix the soda and cruise right past the juice section too. I know it sounds finger-waggy to say it but if you don’t have it in the house, you won’t eat it and neither will the kids. I’m not suggesting sainthood though. Try one of these: 1. Make it. Michael Pollan says you can eat anything you want…as long as you make it yourself. Potato chips and ice cream take so long to prep compared to buying in the store that if you only ate what you made, you’d cut 90 percent of your opportunities immediately. 2. Choose your splurges. Ice cream? Cookies? Pick one but limit yourself (and your family) to one in the house at a time–then enjoy it! Thoughtful eating should still be delicious, which is the whole point of treats anyway.
This doesn’t work. My parents raised me like this – everything unhealthy was a big treat and I only got it when they said I could, and as soon as I had the power to get it myself, I gorged. Now I’m overweight and have an unhealthy, mental addiction to unhealthy food.
I hear you and totally understand what you mean. I’ve been a little overweight for most of my life and that’s not something I want to pass on to our kids. We’re not banning unhealthy food though. We’re just making healthy food most of the time and indulging on occasion. Otherwise, food isn’t the focus. One thing I noticed years ago was that my thin friends did something differently than I did: they ate a lot less. Less frequently and smaller portions. They weren’t eating wheat germ, just less food. That’s a huge thing right there but nutrition is important for growing kids, as well as helping to shape their attitudes about food down the road. It’s all these things together–moderation, variety, freshness, learning how to cook, portion size–that’s what I’m trying to impart. We’ll see if it works!
It don’t work that way for me either… My 2 1/2 year old just won’t eat! She will have a mouthful of food if I’m lucky!!!!! No snacks nothing…
Hi Carla. I’m sorry to hear it and don’t know enough about your situation to comment with any specifics but to say that there are lots of times when kids go through stages where they don’t eat much. It can be frustrating but there may not be a lot to worry about. I have four kids (including one baby who doesn’t eat food yet) and they all periodically eat a lot, eat a lot of only one type of thing (for example, they go to town when I serve yogurt but otherwise eat sparingly) or they eat a lot one day, only to nibble a bit the next day. She may just not be a big eater. I have one of those. Our 3-year-old eats about half of what her 5-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother does. If you’re concerned about your child’s weight, you could definitely ask your pediatrician if any changes are needed. Otherwise, some children have sensory issues with food and there are some great resources out there for it. “It’s Not About the Broccoli” is one of my favorite books that addresses eating issues.
But for the sake of nutrition, pediatricians say to look at the week’s worth of food rather than one meal or even one day. Is she getting any variety? Any fresh fruit or veggies? And if the answer is still no, it might be a longer process to re-introduce more food. Toddlers are notorious for wanting what they want and food is no exception. Hang in there!
I love the veggies first idea! I always laugh when my little runs come running as soon as they get a sniff of the sauce or meat cooking. lol Im doing most of your tips already, but its the dang veggies that always defeat me! lol Thank you! Ill give it a go.
Sounds good, Brandy! We even do the raw veggies first policy when it’s pizza night. It’s a great way to even out a meal that otherwise wouldn’t have much nutrition going for it–but still counts as a tasty splurge. 😉
All of these tips are just awesome! I do most of them already, actually, but it’s great to see such an informative, awesome blog article on this. Hats off to you.
My dad’s a physician (gastroenterologist, actually), so I grew up with well-informed parents who taught us (we’re 5 kids! how to eat and live well. We’re all thin and healthy and dad is still running half-marathons at 70 (even though his father and all his uncles dropped dead before 40 of heart disease). Now, as a mommy myself, I spend a lot of effort on teaching my little ones how to eat (and live) well. What, and how much you eat, has an absolutely enormous influence on your life, if you think about it. We teach out kids so many important things, but I believe this is one of the absolute basics.
It’s not easy – at all! It is however, I believe, very worth it.
Hi Maryna! I couldn’t agree more that teaching kids about food is a difficult but a worthy task–like the rest of parenting! And how great that your dad is still out there running and what an awesome role model for you and your kids too. Thanks so much for your note and I hope to see you again here!
I just want to say that it does work. I was raised like this in Germany and so I do with my twins here in Spain now. We are all healthy, eat everything actually in the way you described it and it’s just going well. My girls love to try everything but of course have their favourites too. Always after lunch since they were 8 months old they can take two things out of their box. Each one has a Widgetbox with their name on it which contains homemade cookies, chips, sometimes Haribo and small chocolates(which I never buy just collecting them from events like Easter present, Xmas or birthday). They can take what they wish independent of eating lunch well or bad and independent if they behaved good or bad. They take two things and that’s it and afterwards they never made a problem out of it to see their box going neither asking for it again during the day neither trying to get more sweets if we go shopping later. And of course if there is a birthday or anything coming up they will have exceptional extra portions of cake or whatever, which I never would make forbidden things but they know at home it’s different again. I think it should just be in balance always. And of course they see us living the same way, so it makes it just easier.
Sandy, I love the idea of a Widgetbox! What seems especially wonderful is that you haven’t attached anything to the treats, so there isn’t an emotional connection. It’s just a treat, a small part of the day to enjoy and move on from. Thanks so much for your note and I hope to see you again here!
Until my daughter was about 18 months old she would eat anything! Then almost overnight she began to say no to foods. With her sudden pickiness, followed by mama returning to work, it has been a struggle trying to get her to eat well. So much of what you said I know, but don’t always practice. (Thanks for the reminder). I’m glad you mentioned juice because that has been our biggest struggle. Since she started pushing water away we got into that bad habit of sippy cups with juice because we were afraid she would get dehydrated. Her dentist strongly encouraged returning to water only. Now we make sure daily to give her fruits & veggies that contain water such as cucumbers & pineapple.
I told my kids they weren’t old enough to have what Dad and I were eating … whether it was broccoli or liver, pickled beets or cauliflower. They almost responded by insisting that they WERE old enough to have it … and so they tried most things with an open mind and a desire to be old enough to like it. Worked like a charm!
Great ideas! Not every thing works for everyone, but what you’ve got here are some great IDEAS! (But did you have to tell me about the shredded cheese??? Eeewwww!). What you’ve encouraged me to do is read labels, know what I’m buying and consuming. I grew up eating too much of whatever I wanted and did not learn that food was fuel until well into my 20’s. I talk to my 4 yr old twins all the time about how some food gives us protein, some gives us vitamins, how it makes us smart and strong, and how some is just a sugary treat. They’re learning balance, even if they would just eat suckers all day long if left to their own accord! I appreciate your ideas and suggestions!! Keep ’em coming!
You and me both! I often think about why all of this is so important to me and it’s because I had exactly the same experience. But I didn’t figure out how to change my body until my 30s! Then I had 4 kids! 🙂 I love what you said about teaching your twins about food as fuel. They’ll thank you for that someday.