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5 Mom Tested Techniques for Raising Healthy Eaters

boy and green pepper

Jonelle Galuska is a mother of three and author of Big Adventures for Little Foodies: Healthy Recipes to Grow Your Giggle. She is co-founder of the Grow Your Giggle children's wellness program and the Mama LeDish parent companion blog.

When comparing the importance of certain responsibilities of parenting, teaching kids to make healthy choices usually ranks somewhere closer to diapering than most of us care to admit. After a few stand-offs with a mad little munchkin slinging pureed food, even the most granola of us on the parenting spectrum suddenly finds the option of serving chicken nuggets three meals a day for life a more palatable strategy.

I come bearing good news: Raising healthy eaters is easier than we often imagine. I present five mom-tested techniques to make it as painless as possible. No technique is entirely foolproof, but if you follow these tips you will be more likely to keep your cool during a toe-to-toe toddler tomato tantrum.

Start early.

It's simple: Shaping healthy habits is more effective than breaking unhealthy ones.

Why wait till they've discovered that pesky little obstacle known as free will? Feed them healthy foods before they know any better. Even if they go through a stage of completely refusing to eat more than the required number of bites later down the road, they were exposed to the taste and nutrients during their most critical stage of development.

Be creative.

I'm the last person who will suggest you try your hand at that 14-step diagram designed to disguise dinner as a dinosaur you found on Pinterest last week. If you were paying attention to step one, then you're dealing with a child. Everything is magical to them! Lights! Dirt! Poop! You name it... they think it's awesome! Use that to your advantage. Don't tell them they have to drink their water. Tell them it's time to try sky juice with the same enthusiasm you reserve for announcing pizza or candy. And you can always reward them when they meet their daily goals for healthy choices.

Yes, I'm telling you to shamelessly trick your kids into good behavior. My business partner refers to the silly names we use for recipes and whole foods as "rebranding." We had a lot of fun and success using them with our kids. Why should Santa have all the glory?

Be realistic.

Restricting "unhealthy foods" is not only likely to backfire, but the science of what's considered "unhealthy" changes so often you would need a Bluetooth enabled dietitian supercomputer that hasn't been invented yet to keep up. Might I suggest a simpler, more realistic approach? Our grandparents called it moderation. Feel free to spell it "mädəˈrāSHən" and get creative with annunciation if you want to "rebrand" it as the latest nutrition craze to those perfect parent friends whose car floorboards have never been sullied by the likes of a French fry.

At my house we use a very simple framework to teach kids moderation. In addition to letting kids help themselves to age-appropriate portion sizes with measuring cups, we classify foods into one of three types of food: "Sometimes," "Anytime," and "Everyday."

Here's how I explain these to my kids:

Sometimes Foods are considered a splurge. This includes highly processed foods like birthday cake, soft drinks, candy, cookies, and doughnuts. These don't provide nutrients we need to be healthy so be careful how often you indulge.

Anytime Foods can be eaten anytime. This includes foods such as fruits, veggies, and water. Anytime foods can be eaten in their natural form to give us nutrients and hydration we need to be healthy and happy.

Everyday Foods can be eaten every day, but not anytime. Everyday foods include dairy products, whole grains, and protein to help us meet food group requirements. We can't eat them anytime or we might spoil our appetite and forget to eat our fruits and veggies. Mama serves these foods at mealtimes.

This system is simple and it works. Try it!

Be consistent and calm.

Whatever your rules are at the dinner table, be consistent and calm enforcing them.

Avoid making an issue if they do not finish their plate (unless there is a medical reason). This can have the unintended consequence of interrupting their natural hunger cues and can lead to overeating in the future. Instead, reward them for trying everything on their plate. This encourages them to be open to trying new foods while also helping them get the nutrition their bodies' need that can only be met through variety.

I also recommend requiring a set number of bites (one bite for each year of age, two bites, four bites, etc.). Nine times out of 10 my son finishes after he tries it. You might (make that will) have some stand-offs; stay calm, be firm (not angry). The more consistent and calm you remain while enforcing this rule, the easier it will get with time. If you haven't been doing this since day one, the week you start will only feel like the longest week of your life. But it gets better! Rules will set the stage for years of less frustrating family meals to come.

Let kids help.

There are three very important reasons to let kids help prepare food.

First, they are more likely to eat food that they have helped prepare.

Second, cooking is the single most important skill set you can give a child to empower them to a healthy and more financially secure future. Contrary to popular belief, teaching your child to cook is not the parental equivalent of sentencing your child to a life of domestic servitude flipping burgers or fetching beers for their spouse. I argue that cooking is the single most empowering skill set you can provide a child. In addition to empowering them to prepare their own food using local ingredients, it's a much more economical way to eat.

The third and most important reason: Kids love to cook and they love to spend time with you. Select age-appropriate recipes that don't push the limits of adult patience or exceed kids' attention spans, you will create healthy habits and warm memories that will last a lifetime.


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