5 Secrets To Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters

Getting the kids to eat their veggies. It’s the classic dinner table battle. Ever overheard or understood the frustrated grumble of the parent who’s child wants nothing but French fries, cereal, or PB&J. Ever known you wanted to do better for them, but struggled to know where to start? Ever wondered what difference it would make in your child if you put forth a real effort? I have. And let me tell ya, it’s a learning curve for sure. It takes purposeful effort. It takes time. It takes planning. But it’s worth it. It’s SO worth it.

This is definitely not an area I’ve mastered. Goodness, my oldest little guy will be five in May…I’ve really only just begun. But taking from lessons I learned from my own parents who raised me to love all kinds of good, wholesome foods and never allowed my picky nature to ultimately rule my taste buds, as well as from some of my “crunchier” friends who have shared their journeys and ideas along the way, and not to mention my own (sometimes obsessive) concern over what I feed my little men, maybe I can share just a thing or two that might give you a foot up on your own journey!

So here are a few tips I’ve found to be helpful:

Secret #1 : Check Yourself.

Before you even begin to think about how healthy you want your children to be, or get too frustrated over why they won’t eat their veggies, make sure your own habits are something to look up to. If you are mostly eating junk except for that little pile of peas at dinner that your mini-me keeps refusing…maybe take a step back and consider changing your own habits before asking them to change theirs. Relook at how you yourself view food and be sure that you are making choices that your children will see and want to replicate. And you can do it! Start buying more fruits, veggies, proteins (meat, fish, eggs, beans), and whole grains and a little less of the empty carbs, sugary, preservative filled packaged goods you’ve been purchasing up till now. (Basically try to shop the perimeter of the store). Take one small step at at time to stretch, revamp and retrain your own taste buds to enjoy more whole foods and you’d be amazed what a difference it will make as you bring your little people along on the journey with you!

Or perhaps you are making good choices already and simply want your children to do the same. Good for you! You’ve already got a great foot forward! The best way to get your children on the path to eating well and enjoying it, is to see you already walking that way and loving it! Now you just have to bring them along with you.

Secret #2: What You Eat, They Eat.

The next part is the big kicker…a task that I thought would be much easier until I faced it myself. It’s one of the first steps every parent must take if they hope to raise happy, healthy eaters. If you want your children to eat wholesome foods that will help them to grow and thrive, if you want a child who will one day take on the world and all its varying, delicious flavors, if you never want to see your child hindered by what they will or won’t eat, if you want them to make good choices as to what they put in their body…then don’t make it optional. (I know that sounds tyrannical but don’t worry, they’ll appreciate it later). Because a child who is allowed to be picky generally becomes a picky adult. (This girl right here would have been the classic example if my parents had allowed for it!) But see, that’s really no fun for anyone and doesn’t lend itself to eating the broad range of amazing foods that a body needs and has the opportunity to enjoy! So yes, I’ll say it. Give your child no other option than to eat what is put in front of them. And give them what you are eating. (Which, as we just spoke about, should often be something wholesome.)

Now, I am not saying that they need to eat all of what is put in front of them. ( I think the “CLEAR your plate” thing can cause issues such as obesity or habitual over-eating. If a child has eaten a decent amount and is full, by all means, cease and desist.) My point is that any child who is given the option of a chicken stir fry or a pb&j sandwich will generally choose the latter. But if a child is given no other choice but to either eat what mom and dad are eating or deal with a very rumbly tummy, the latter choice isn’t nearly as much fun. Obviously, this is not speaking to babies or very young children who aren’t ready for certain foods, and it’s not a tyrannical idea. I’m really just encouraging you not to let the kiddos rule the table because they likely won’t make the best choices…and of course, as parents, we want the best for them and it’s our job to make those good choices for them. And yes, honestly, it’s a battle sometimes. My husband and I had no idea what we were in for when we made that choice. But honestly, if you start this rule with a young child, it really doesn’t take long for them to see that this is how it is and because you crave what you eat, they’ll likely begin to enjoy those healthier foods as their pallet broadens and will thank you for it later.

IMPORTANT NOTE for the worn out mama who’s had a long day or the dad who got put on dinner duty tonight: Yes, my children eat what’s put in front of them with no other options…but now and then what this tired mama puts out is pizza, chicken nuggets, or the infamous pb&j sandwich because I know they love it, they’ll eat it, and for just one night, I’d like to remember what I ate. Same thing at the church potluck or when we are out to dinner, or my husband and I have planned a late night dinner date at home after the kiddos are in bed. There are occasions to bend a bit. Don’t stress it. The general habits at the table won’t be negated by a gut-bomb pizza night!

Secret #3: Don’t just do…TEACH!

My four year old recently asked why he almost never gets to drink pop (soft drinks, coke, soda…gotta cover my basis for my dear southern friends). I went on to explain how really terrible it is for his little body to have something like that all the time. I saw it as an opportunity to teach him that different foods (or non-foods), effect our bodies differently and not all foods are as good for us as others.

Rather than just always giving yes and no answers on what foods they can have (although sometimes that’s all there’s time for), I think explaining to your kids how foods effects their bodies is such a great teaching moment and it’s an area I’d like to improve in. God made food to nourish us and sustain us and we teach our children about his glory by explaining how all that works. It’s not that kids always need an explanation, but as they get older, it will help to guide their choices if they know some of the reasons behind why wholesome food is so important. Does it really matter all that much what they eat? Why do they need protein? What does it do for them? Why are veggies and fruit really soooooo important? Just answering basic questions like this (even if you have to go Google it first) can go along way. They have memories like steal traps ready to store so much information, so why not fill some of it with knowledge about what they are sticking in their bodies on a regular basis? And who knows what you might learn right along with them!

Secret #4: Be Creative!

Teaching your kids to eat good foods does NOT have to be boring!!! There are endless options out there, it just takes being willing to take the time.

Living in this technological age, we have a whole world of recipes right at our fingertips. Throw “fun, healthy food ideas for kids” into the search engine and you will have an unending plethora of options, ideas, and recipes! And many of them take only a few ingredients and are so simple! If you are willing to put in a little time and effort, you can create fun snacks to grab and give the kids when you’re on the go so you won’t be so tempted to keep the easy, pre-made, store bought, often not so healthy snacks around as the only options. There are so many recipes out there for energy balls, protein cookies, smoothies, fruit and veggie snacks and a million other ideas that pack all kinds of good ingredients and the kids never even know! (I might have stifled a slightly maniacal laugh the other morning when I was told by my little guys how much LOVED their breakfast smoothies…which I had packed with spinach, unbeknownst to them.)

Not one to follow a recipe? Keep it simple. Sliced fruit, berries, and cheese are a fun colorful snack that never gets old…especially if you throw it in a fun bowl to send it with them if you’re on the go or if you’re home, sit on a blanket and have a “picnic”!

If your kids are old enough, let them help prepare their food. My boys always think its the best when they get to help, and it makes them so much more excited about eating what we’ve prepared.

Also, just to break up the monotony, don’t be afraid to shift foods from their regular meal. Mix things up a bit! Eggs and sliced fruit might not sound like lunch, but that makes it more fun and out of the ordinary and they’ll probably think its fantastic.

Secret #5: Don’t be stressing or obsessing.

My last suggestion when it comes to raising happy, healthy eaters is to take an all natural, organic chill pill. Do your best…“whether you eat or drink or whatever you do…” but also remember, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink…“ We are to glorify our Creator in all we do, including what we eat, but we are not to worry or to be anxious about it. And we must not be legalistic about it. “What God has made clean, do not call common.” Make the best choices that you can to raise the healthiest little humans you can, but keep the above thoughts in mind. We might raise healthy kids but we won’t raise happy ones if we obsess over every little thing they eat. If we’re stressed about it, they’ll be stressed about it. And we can create an unhealthy relationship between them and food if it becomes an idol or an overwhelming topic. If they feel unable to eat cake at a friends party, candy at a parade, an occasional bowl of ice cream (which in my life is a necessity) or enjoy a fun family pizza night, it might just make them run in the opposite direction. And it’s definitely not worth it. Food is meant to be a blessing, not a burden, a joy and not a stress. Be thankful you have food to feed your children, on the health nut days and the gut bomb days and every day in between.

Do the best you can and thank God for every bite!