Getting kids to eat a healthy diet IS possible, but it takes a bit of dedication on your part. Regularly offering your children a selection of healthy recipes
will help them develop good habits that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. Below are five easy tips to get your kids eating better.
1. Turn them into mini chefs
Kids are more likely to eat food they've helped to prepare, as they'll feel proud of themselves for making it. One easy way is to create pizza faces with healthy toppings like sliced peppers, tomato circles, mushroom slices, stoned olives, ham strips and pineapple pieces. Or make Frogs on Logs by stuffing mini celery ‘logs' with a little low-fat cream cheese and topping with stoned olives or seedless grapes.
2. Let them pick and mix
Try buffet-style meals and let your children pick from a selection of healthy foods, such as jacket potato halves, mini quiches or sandwiches, raw carrot sticks (usually more popular than cooked), peas, or cherry tomato and mozzarella balls. To make it fun, they could use children's chopsticks to pick them up.
3. Give them finger foods
Try veggie batons and dips, such as hummus or guacamole - colourful veggies are generally more appealing to children, so try red and yellow pepper strips, carrot sticks, sugar-snap peas and cherry tomatoes. They'll also enjoy dipping fruit pieces such as strawberry and fig.
4. Eat well yourself
Children copy what you do, so what you eat matters too. If you can, eat with your kids and let them see you eating a range of healthy lean meats and fish, wholewheat carbohydrates and, of course, your five fruit and veg a day.
5. Pop a bottle on the table
Offer water like Nestlé Pure Life at mealtimes to get your children into the habit of drinking water *.
* Water contributes to the maintenance of normal physical and cognitive function and normal regulation of body temperature. At least 2L of water, from all sources, should be consumed per day, as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
