Raman Kuppuswamy

You may constantly be worrying why your kids are not eating properly and why they have a special hatred for good and nutritious food. It is really a cause for concern because children who eat healthy foods can have a strong resistance to combat infections and become healthy kids at a later stage. But, if you take a few steps, you can make your kids eat good and nutritious food.

- You must first understand that it is quite normal for kids to dislike such foods. But, you can definitely make good and tasty dishes with healthy ingredients, which they may like. You have hundreds of such dishes and you should develop your culinary skills to prepare these healthy recipes.

- You can make it a habit to take your children to the grocery stores along with you when you go for shopping grocery items. You must keep talking about using fresh items including fresh fruits and vegetables and why they should shed the habit of eating processed foods and start eating healthy items. You can discuss with them the dishes you can prepare during the next week. you must give them the liberty to suggest to you about the healthy dishes you should prepare.

- "Seeking" their help while you cook is a great idea. They may not be able to do big chores but they can do small tasks like bringing the necessary items from the refrigerator or keeping the bread in the right basket and so on. They will be watching you skilfully preparing the dishes and most probably, will be induced to taste them and ultimately, they will start liking them. They may also learn how to prepare the dishes when they grow a little older.

- Insisting the quantity of food they should eat is a wrong approach. They may not eat the quantity you may expect. But, if they start eating these foods, that itself is a great beginning. Instead, you should try offering them smaller quantities so that foods do not go a waste.

- Even for snacking, you can try giving them healthy snacks such as fresh fruits and vegetables. You should keep talking to them about the importance of eating such foods so that the message gets into their minds. If they start liking all the fruits and vegetables, it is a very good situation. If they like only a particular fruit or vegetable, you can continue to give them the same item and slowly impress upon them to try other items also.

- Since they need to eat their meals regularly, you must not allow them to eat any other thing before their meals. You must also not forget the fact that breakfast is the most important meal and hence, you should ensure they do not skip it.

- You should refrain from alluring kids with bribes for their eating. This is not a healthy trend. Instead, if you give choices, they are likely to choose one or two dishes among the choices you give.

- You should not completely restrict them not to eat junk foods. Occasionally allowing them to binge on such items will motivate them to follow your advice on healthy foods.

- Last but not the least, you should set an example by choosing only healthy foods. Children are more likely to emulate you and hence, you can expect them to follow suit soon.

These are only a few tips for making your kids eat healthy. You can innovate several other new ideas also. You should adopt patience and keep trying till you succeed in your attempts.