Convincing kids to eat healthier
My two sons say they want to eat healthy. They've heard me talk about why it's important for their brains and bodies, particularly in their quest to be athletes. I'm a pretty good role model in terms of loading up on fruits and vegetables, and while the kids certainly aren't treat-deprived, we don't keep lots of junk in the house. My younger son, although picky, will usually eat the fruits and vegetables on his plate. Yet often, my older son will resist eating the healthier portions of his meals and snacks, including the items he says he likes.
Some dietitians and parenting experts tell me I should chill out at that point. Their theory: it's my responsibility to serve healthy items, but it's my child's decision to eat them. But I just can't sit by and watch my 10-year-old leave all his fruit and vegetables untouched. Can you? So I find myself resorting to nagging. Which turns it all into a power struggle, which I don't want to do, especially with a kid who already tends toward being resistant to authority figures.
I have interviewed nutritionists and done online searches for tips, and I've found plenty of things that HAVEN'T worked well for me: involving my kids in grocery shopping, creating fun shapes with food, leaving chopped fruit and veggies in easy-to-reach locations, serving vegetables with dips and hiding healthy items in other dishes (I don't really like that notion anyway). Making him stay at the table until he's done works eventually, but it doesn't make for a pleasant process. I'm sure these ideas are great for many families, however, so I'm passing them along.
The one thing that HAS consistently worked for me is serving half the portion of my son's favorite foods (chicken, or Goldfish crackers, or whatever he really likes in a meal) and giving him the second half once he finishes his fruits and vegetables. Getting him when he's very hungry also tends to be a good strategy... he'll eat a banana with fewer complaints if he's about to eat the shirt off his back.
What else? Here are some new tactics I'm going to try:
-- Ask my kid, directly, why he resists eating. I'd like to hear his answer. Maybe it's because I hover too much and annoy him. Could I agree to back off and see if any new sense of power on his end helps?
-- Start a game over how many different-colored foods he can eat in one day. Hang a chart on the refrigerator. If he does well every day, maybe I'll take him for a treat of his choosing at the end of the week.
-- Combine old and new foods. My son is pretty stuck in his ways on what fruits he'll eat, but maybe that makes him feel bored about them too. He likes apples, so I could throw in a few slices of pears and possibly get him more used to the taste without serving something completely new.
-- Freeze fruit. I've heard kids love frozen strawberries and raspberries. Just never tried it.
Anybody else have ideas?
