THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RAISING HEALTHY EATERS

It’s here!  The ultimate guide to raising healthy eaters is finally here!!  Queue the choir!!

DISCLAIMER:  My kids are 10 and younger….I have not dealt with the teenage years yet!  If you are a parent to older children, you may have to change some of these strategies up a bit.

This post is LOONNGG.  (long duk dong….name that movie)

We all know that kid (or maybe even yourself) that won’t touch any new food, veggie, or fruit with a ten foot pole.  And I get it….our palates are changing all the time, even as adults  You may also have a bad memory of your parent/grandparent scooping food out of a can and throwing it onto your plate.  However, things have changed. Like majorly.  New recipes are being created everyday from awesome chefs and food bloggers that are so delicious that you are sometimes left shocked that what you ate was something that you despised for so long!

 

Getting your child, husband, wife, etc to change their eating habits can be hard.  Especially if it’s not something they are used to, have a bad memory of it, or just never grew up eating real, wholesome foods.  Believe me I know!  I’ve been through it all with 5 kids.  Don’t be discouraged though, because they will come around and I’m here to share some tips that have helped us along the way.

WARNING: tough love will be issued in this post.

• SEE YA LATER CRAPPY FOOD. Out of sight, out of mind! If you do not have it in your house, you will not be tempted to feed it to your kids, or to eat it yourself.
• MAKE A LIST.Always have a grocery list of what you are going to get. Lists help you stay on track.  Get only what’s on the list and try not to stray.  The problem with not having a list, is that then you wander up and down the aisles and then your kids are picking up every single thing they see, asking if they can have it, and a lot of times you say yes.  Now that my kids are old enough and can read I’ll ask if it’s on the list. If it’s not then we don’t buy it.  Sticking to a list also helps with budgeting!
• IT’S OKAY TO BUY “CONVENIENT” SNACKS. Just because it is packaged doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it. Sure fruits and veggies are best, but there are lots of convenient options out there that are great for school lunches and snacks.  Convenient foods are there for a reason….to make life easier for you. (and so you don’t go crazy trying to make ALL-THE-HEALTHY-THINGS). Look for snacks that have clean, simple ingredients.  Don’t feel bad for putting that in your kids lunches.  If your kids are into sandwiches, Canyon Bakehouse is my favorite gluten-free bread.  Good alternatives to pb&j is just letting them dip the actual fruit into the nut butter. For a kids lunch guide click HERE.
• HIDE THOSE VEGGIES. I try to put veggies in anything and everything.  Chop the veggies small and mix them into meat.  Kids usually dig sauces. Smother; okay okay, don’t smother, but drizzle some sauce over their meals. Or let them dip whatever is on their plate into a sauce.  A few of my favorite hidden veggie recipes will be at the end of this post.
• KEEP GIVING IT TO THEM. Not every day, but try for once a week.  Always put it on their plate.  Start with one piece and gradually put more and more on there!  This is one of my BEST tips……Make it a game. Rewarding is wonderful too, but try to stay clear of rewarding with “dessert” after the meal.  We make a reward chart…. if they eat all their food on the plate they get a point.  Go for 2nds and they get 2 points.  After they reach X amount of points they get something.  Maybe it’s their favorite little lego set, or going to the coolest park in town.  Or maybe it’s a day off from doing their chores.  You choose!
• THEY WILL NOT STARVE. This may be the hardest thing to deal with.  Your kid refusing to eat so you give in and just make them what they want. Yah, ummm NO!! This is where tough love is KEY.  Remember you are the parent, you are the BOSS.  Not your kids.  There have been many, many times that our kids have not eaten a meal.  I always tell them that you eat what is given to you and you be grateful for what you do get to have to nourish and keep you healthy  (my kids are a bit older, so they understand the being grateful part a bit more than say a 1 year old, obvs) I also say things like, “you totally ate this the other day and loved it”  They usually question it and I respond with “yah, I chopped up the veggies really small and you ate the whole thing without even noticing, so I know you like them”  Usually that gets them to think that maybe they do like that food.
• MAKE IT FUN! Have them help you grocery shop and let them pick out what is on the list.  They feel grown up and more eager to eat things that they have picked out themselves.  It’s a good learning experience too.  If you are trying to stay on a budget, let them hold a calculator. When you get home, let them help you cook the meal.  They will be more excited to eat something that they helped buy and prepare! Start with the basics, scrambled eggs, helping dice, making sandwiches.  Don’t worry about the messes that they make.
• IT WON’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.  This is totally normal, so don’t feel like you are doing something wrong if in a couple months they still aren’t eating everything you give them. Out palates are constantly changing so keep trying and trying.
• THE STRUGGLE IS REAL WITH TEXTURES. Especially meat. For some reason the texture of meat is weird to some children.  A lot of kids gravitate towards crispy textures like crackers, so breading it, pan frying, or sticking under a broiler to achieve a crispy texture may help.  Also, make your meat flavorful.  No one likes bland meat, not even you!  Another option is to put it on a stick.  So much more fun when you have chicken swords. (warning: do not actually use them as swords, I don’t want anyone coming back to me saying that their kid got stabbed in the throat)! My kids don’t like anything mashed, so 95% of the time potatoes and veggies are roasted.

Hopefully this guide will help you get started with raising healthy eaters.  Remember it takes time.  🙂

FAVORITE HIDDEN VEGGIE MEALS:  Below are just a few of our favorite hidden veggie meals.

BACON WRAPPED MEATLOAF

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND POTATO SOUP

PUMPKIN AND BEEF CHILI

SHEET PAN MOROCCAN CHICKEN

CHICKEN POT PIE CASSEROLE

SLOPPY JOE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

SHEET PAN RANCH PORK LOIN

 

Do you have any tips?  Let all us know in the comments!!  We are in this together and us parents need all the help we can get!!