Practical Tips to Getting Kids to Healthy Foods

“Ewww! I don’t like vegetables!” Unfortunately I hear this comment all too often from the many children in my practice. On the one hand it’s not terribly surprising: infants start out eating very sweet-to-the-taste breast milk or formula and then are expected to simply switch over to more bitter tasting vegetables somewhere between 6 and 12 months. On the other hand, it is universally understood that vegetables are a necessary healthy addition to a child’s diet and can open a world of fresh and delicious flavors to their developing palates. Are there ways to help children enjoy vegetables and other foods that are good for them but are not commonly asked for? Read on and I’ll share a few of my secrets.

Kids need somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 calories a day to maintain healthy tissues, proper hormone production, a healthy immune system and to produce enough energy to keep up with their active lifestyles. Unfortunately, many children have unhealthy sources of calories, which can lead to illness, fatigue and developmental delays. Major culprits include the sweet and less-than-nutritious food choices that are all too available and inexpensive. A recent study showed that a child’s daily exposure to mass media (i.e., TV, radio, Internet, etc.) contains “food of some sort” in the message 1/3 of the time. Of that time, a significant amount was devoted to cereals and sweets. So it’s little wonder that children are frequently asking for unhealthy snacks, but especially sweets. Delaying a child’s exposure to sweets for as long as possible will prevent his/her taste buds from becoming accustomed to sweet foods. In fact, research has demonstrated that consistent exposure to non-sweet foods will improve a child’s desire for non-sweet foods—in other words, if kids are not exposed to sweets on a regular basis, their taste buds will not miss the sweet taste when not found in the good foods that they do eat.

A wonderful mantra within the field of parenting is “lead by example.” Kids who see their parents eat in an unhealthy way are much more likely to eat poorly themselves. If children see their parents eating healthy foods, studies show children are much more likely to eat healthy foods. I often recommend the “Just One Bite” suggestion that I was given years ago. The rule states that your child must have at least one bite of everything on her plate, which will gradually allow her to discover that some foods aren’t so bad. At first you might have a little trouble enforcing the rule, but be persistent and your child will stop fighting it. I promise. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce a new food every 3-4 days and get kids to try new foods on a regular basis. Be sure to not force your child to eat more than one bite, but insist on at least one. Recent studies suggest that it takes upwards of 17 exposures to a food before a kiddo will potentially like and ask for it. Most parents try 3-4 times, at the most, and give up. I recommend that parents be persistent and for children that can actively participate in food choices and preparation, get them involved! The next time you take the kids to the grocery store, allow them to pick out any fruit or vegetable from the produce section they want and help them prepare it.

Many small children love dipping their food and this can be a great way to get kids to eat something (i.e., raw vegetables) that they typically won’t eat plain. Try hummus, natural (unsweetened) peanut or almond butter, unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon, black bean dip or yogurt. All of these dips, in addition to being great tasting, also provide a number of healthy ingredients including protein, fiber and good fats.

When you’ve tried a few of these suggestions, but still have some trouble, you might consider a tastier preparation of “not-so-tasty” foods. There are a few great cookbooks out there including The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious cookbooks, which can be ok for very young children who developmentally cannot understand healthy choices, but I typically do not recommend this approach for children who can be active in the decision making process.

Family meals together are another important aspect of getting kids to eat a healthy diet. There have been numerous studies touting the benefits of eating together as a family, including less obesity in both parents and their children. In addition, a Columbia University study found that kids who ate less than twice a week with the family were three times more likely to try marijuana, two times more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Healthy nutritional choices for children need to be paramount to ensure they get the nutrients, vitamins and co-factors their developing bodies need. As parents, we have the opportunity to be nutritional leaders for our children by leading by example, offering creatively fun and healthy food choices and being actively involved in their dietary needs, both at the dinner table and at the grocery store. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun in buying, preparing and eating food—it can be some of the best memories you’ll both have!

Contributing Author and Naturopath
Dr. Phil Wazny NMD
Integrative Healthcare

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