Wanting your children to eat well and enjoy their food is a goal all mothers have, starting from pregnancy. During the 9 months of pregnancy, you try to eat as healthy as possible to ensure your baby’s health has a head start.
While you are in control of what goes into their little bodies, it’s a bit easier. However, once children realize they don’t like something things get a little trickier.
If you have a picky eater and want to provide them with some healthy options without making it too obvious that they are eating healthy, here are a few ideas you can start with.
- Granola can be a great source of vitamins and nutrients while still being fun to eat. Try making granola with your kids and let them pack it up in a cute container. You can pre-buy all the ingredients you want them to choose from. They feel they have a choice of what goes in it and that they made it. Not only will they be excited to eat it, but they will also be excited to share their story at school.
- Try cutting out their sandwiches with fun cookie cutters. You can use season-themed shapes or Disney shapes. There are cookie cutters for all sorts of shapes. Take a step further and let them help you. They can assemble the sandwich (so there are no surprises for them) and then cut using the cookie cutter to cut off the crust.
- Some kids naturally like fruits and others don’t, but I have not met a kid that does not like chocolate. Try dunking fruits in a little chocolate (white or milk) and then placing in the refrigerator to harden. What a treat that will be! Not all fruits keep well once sliced, so here are some ideas.
- Apples (add a little lemon juice to them to stop them from browning)
- You can dry out the fruits first
- Pineapples, oranges, peaches
- You can also put a little melted chocolate in a small container and let them dip away
- Make a shake with all sorts of yumminess and place some in a cool thermos to stay cold. You can also add chia seeds for added nutrition and it acts as a natural thickener.
Every little bit helps when it comes to nutrition for children and sometimes we have to trick them into eating how we see best. Be consistent and hopefully they will be wanting to eat well all on their own.
