“August is Kids Eat Right™ month. Kids Eat Right™ month focuses on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for children and families. It’s a time to highlight the role that everyone plays in ensuring a healthy future for our nation’s children.”
As a Registered Dietitian I help teach parents and children how to eat healthy and learn the important role that nutrition plays in their growth. However, that’s not to say preparing food for children can’t be a challenge. And with the current pandemic it can seem like it’s a 24/7 job. Understatement of the year, am I right parents? Here are a few common complaints that I hear often:
“How can I get my kid to eat more vegetables? He/She hates them ALL!”
“Should I give my child a vitamin? This way I can make sure he/she’s getting the nutrients he/she should be getting?”
“My child is SO picky!” “Dinner time leads to a fight/battle between myself and my husband to get my child to eat the food that’s been prepared. Dinner time is stressful!”
Kids Eat Right™: It’s Not Just You
If you think you’re the only one having these kinds of problems, think again. These are just a few of the complaints that I get from parents. While I do not have kids, I do have two nephews and have babysat much of my life to experience kids’ behavior. I can attest to the dislike of not only veggies but also seafood. My one nephew is more willing to try new foods and experiment at the age of 13. Whereas my nephew that’s almost 10 has a deep hatred for all things green and any kind of seafood. He can gag/vomit almost just from the sight of them.
Writing these suggestions from an outsider looking in, having made many observations of what not to do. This may be helpful seeing as many of you are in the thick of it just as my brother and sister-in-law are. Here they are, a few suggestions to help you get your kids to eat a little better, & not just those infamous vegetables:
Kids Eat Right™: The W’s
Parents and caregivers supply the three “Ws” of meals and snacks:
- What foods are offered
- When foods are offered
- Where they’re eaten
The child fills in the other “W” and “H”: Which offered foods to eat and How much. This is a discussion that needs to take place so that the children understand the parent’s role and the children understand their role. Could talk more in length about this, but suffice it to say as parents, you’re stocking the house with healthful foods that the children will be able to eat. And yes, there can be sweets (see farther down) but if all that is bought is unhealthful food, that becomes the norm for kids. They’ll gravitate towards wanting to eat those ‘not as healthy’ foods.
Kids Eat Right™: Make A Schedule
Children need to eat every three to four hours. Three meals, two snacks, and lots of fluids. If you plan for these, your child’s diet will be much more balanced. They’ll be less cranky as they won’t be famished. Plan ahead and bring food with you if you’re out and about. And by the way, this works for adults too! Not to mention, if at a meal they don’t eat as much as in theory you’d like them to, this also allows for them to know when their next meal time is. Kids eat when they’re hungry.
Kids Eat Right™: Plan Dinners
If thinking about a weekly menu is too daunting, start with two or three days at a time. A good dinner doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be balanced. Whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta; a fruit or vegetable; and a protein source like lean meat, cheese, or beans. Avoid trying to decide at 5:00 what’s for dinner. Instead, aim to plan ahead.
Cooking a separate meal for the adults and a meal for the kids is a bad habit to start and even harder one to stop. Sure, we want kids to eat, however, this is exhausting. Aim to have at least one thing on the plate that you know the kids will eat. Avoid introducing two new foods at once. You might be excited to try a new recipe out, but if there isn’t something familiar on the plate, kids tend tend to eat what they’re familiar with.
Kids Eat Right™: Don’t Be A Short Order Cook
Make one meal for everybody. Yes, this hard when it comes to pleasing the whole family. However, include them in the decision of what’s being cooked for the week. Children will mimic their parents’ behavior. Aim to make sure you and your spouse are both on the same page. This really is a tough one. Witnessing this all too often, it all leads to the same result. The kids continue to ask for a separate meal and the moms end up frustrated they’re having to cook separate meals. Lose lose for all.
Kids are not always going to like everything you make. Aim to get them involved in the planning and cooking. Every time may not be a success. Keeping a schedule will let kids know when snack time is. That snack will help fill them up if dinner didn’t. No need to beg or barter with the kids at the table. What’s on the table is what’s for dinner.
Kids Eat Right™: Bite Your Tongue
Try not to comment on what or how much your kids are eating. Aim to be as neutral as possible. Remember, your job as a parent is to provide food that is balanced. Your kids are responsible for eating the prepared food. Playing food enforcer and saying things like “Eat your vegetables”, encourages kids to resist. No one wants a fight at the table.
Easy to say, hard not to do. If we could only will the kids to eat their veggies. Set expectations at mealtime before sitting down. Expectations hel to avoid repeating or coaxing the children to “eat their veggies”. The kids’ job is to eat the food that’s offered. They can choose night after night to not eat their veggies, however, that’s their choice. You can instill a one bite rule as a way to not fight at the table. Ideally we won’t waste food, however, the key is offering a variety of veggies. Additionally including a variety of preparation methods. There will be a way they’ll like the veggie. Kids need a lot of exposure before they’re even willing to begin to think to include a new food.
Kids Eat Right™: Introduce New Foods Slowly
Children are new-food-phobic by nature. Kids actually tend to like eating the same thing over and over. They do not get bored easily. This is known as a food jag. Their taste buds have to get used to a flavor before they actually like the taste. A little hero worship will work wonders too. Next time your kid refuses to eat spinach, let them know that Captain America eats spinach to stay big and strong. Kids will eat spinach to be like Captain America!
Remember to try introducing a new food in many different forms. Kids like to have different tastes and textures, however, may not like a food simply based on the way it was prepared. Something to keep this in mind when you think that you’ve tried them every way possible. Here are a few spinach recipes that are quite tasty and offering spinach in three different forms:
Spinach Pancakes – Believe it or not, the spinach won’t affect the taste. Spinach will simply provide the green color. Better to not trick the children. Instead, let them see you put spinach in the batter and blend it all up. They’ll be pleasantly be surprised that they can’t taste it. Green pancakes for the win!
Spinach Strawberry Salad – Take lots of spinach leaves and roll them up together and cut them (chiffonade them up!. The kids aren’t looking at actual spinach leaves, but the spinach in a different form. For kids appearance is everything. Worst case scenario is they eat all the strawberries and pecans.
Spinach Artichoke Dip – While this does include two foods children may not like, the winning part of this recipe is all the cheese. Kids love cheese!! Not to mention it’s a dip. Who doesn’t like a good dip?
Kids Eat Right™: Dips
Experiment with dips. My nephews love to dip their food. I found a yogurt-based ranch dressing that isn’t full of fat and won’t bother my brother if all they do is lick the dressing off and don’t eat the carrot. The ultimate goal is to have them eat carrots, but there are times when all they do is lick the dressing off. Kids will be kids. You can additionally try hummus, salsa, or even experiment and make up your own dressing!
Kids Eat Right™: Make Mornings Count
Most families don’t eat enough fiber on a daily basis. Breakfast is an easy place to sneak fiber in. You can even make-up batches of whole-grain pancakes. For a batch that serves 6 (2 pancakes a piece), sift together ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup whole wheat flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt. Next mix 1 ½ cups buttermilk, 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 large egg, and 1 large egg white. Combine the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients and you’ve got homemade pancake batter! Make extra and freeze the leftovers.
Kids Eat Right™: Get Kids Cooking
If your kids become involved in choosing or preparing meals, they’ll be more interested in eating what they’ve created. Take them to the store and let them choose the produce for you. If they’re old enough, allow them to cut up vegetables and mix them into a salad. Kids take ownership in things that they’ve made and odds are higher they’ll try something they make.
During quarantine my nephews and I started a garden. Such a great way to bring the farm to the table. Interestingly enough, nephew #2 is trying and enjoying more fruits and vegetables because they’re from his garden. They pickled radish the other day for their tacos. He loved them! Gardening may not be your thing. Regardless, keep in mind the idea is to get kids involved. Have them find a recipe to try, have them help cook the recipe, and ultimately decide whether it’s a keeper. Otherwise it’s back to the books to find another recipe to try!
Kids Eat Right™: Cut Back on Junk
You as the parent, not your kids, are in charge of the foods that enter the house. Having fewer junk foods around, allows your children to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products naturally. Stock your house full of healthy options.
Parents ask me about desserts all the time. Definitely a personal choice on the frequency of how often desserts are allowed in to the mix. Remember, don’t beg children to eat their veggies or use a phrase like, “If you eat your veggies then you can have dessert.” This is not helpful in the long-run. In the short-term they’ll eat their veggie at that particular meal, however, then they learn if they eat their veggies they’ll be getting dessert. Dessert shouldn’t be used as a reward.
Also, I’m a big advocate of making nutrient dense snacks that are not only good for you but taste good too. I wouldn’t call this a dessert, but I would call it a win when kids are asking for something that’s ‘healthy’ versus a ‘junk’ food option. Don’t believe me? Make some and see overtime what happens. These almond butter energy bites are one of my favs!
Kids Eat Right™: Allow Treats
Having less healthy foods occasionally keeps them from becoming forbidden and thus even more appealing. The problem with treats is that kids are so used to having these daily that they expect a treat daily. A treat is supposed to be exactly that, something to look forward to, not an everyday item. Candy, soda, and cookies can be “sometimes” foods. Eating out at a fast food restaurant of their choice every so often can be allowed. It’s truly about balance and moderation and making sure not to use food as a reward is key too.
Kids Eat Right™: Have Fun!
The more creative the meal, the greater variety of foods kids will eat. You can make smiley-face pancakes and you can give foods silly names. Broccoli florets can be “baby trees”. Anything mini is always a hit with kids as well. You can use cookie cutters to turn toast into hearts and stars, all things kids will love.
Kids Eat Right™: Be A Role Model
If you’re constantly on a diet or have erratic eating habits, your kids will grow up thinking that this sort of behavior is normal. Be honest with yourself about the kinds of food messages that you’re sending. Trust your body to tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re full, and your kids will learn to do the same. I must mention this here as well, if one parent is not eating vegetables, the odds are your kids will not want to eat them either. Monkey see, monkey do. Simply put, be a good role model.
If vegetables are not your thing either, find a new one to try all together. I challenge kids when they say they don’t like vegetables. There’s no way they’ve tried them all and they just need to focus on the ones that they do like versus thinking that they like none. Understandable that it can be exhausting trying to be creative with the veggies. This is where involving the kids can make a difference. Now that my one nephew is 13, I challenge him to look up a recipe that he might want to try. And I explain that we might win some and we might lose some. They can’t all turn out to be “keepers”.
Kids Eat Right™: Adjust Your Attitude
Realize that what your kids eat over time is what matters. Some parents get upset at the dinner table when their kids aren’t eating the foods that they’ve prepared. Don’t get caught up on focusing on just one meal. Look at the whole day of everything they’ve had to eat. And even more broad, look at the whole week versus focusing on just one day. Kids will eat when they’re hungry. Continue to offer meals and snacks at set times. This way even if they don’t eat that much at dinner, a snack before bedtime is important to help provide extra nutrients the kids need. If they’re hungry, they’ll eat!)
Kids Eat Right™ month is designated as August every year, however, every month and every day paves the way for kids to eat right. Teaching children healthy eating habits that ensure that they’re getting the nutrients that they need starts at a young age. Getting kids to eat healthfully doesn’t have to be complicated. Variety, Balance, and Moderation along with a lot of patience will help kids eat right and you’re on your way!
