As a parent, your first priority is largely focused on providing proper nutrition to your child because it's essential for their overall growth. But when they turn up their noses after seeing salads or veggies, it becomes stressful to deal with their resistance.
So, here are few strategies to help you to make mealtimes a little easy-
- Reward Charts - It is a simple & convenient process to promote positive behavior for eating healthy food. Offer your children a gold star or a reward when they complete eating food. It turns the process of trying new things into a positive experience.
- Visually appealing food presentation - We are already aware that garnished food looks more appealing and tastes better. So the same logic applies to children's food. Get creative with your food presentation skills for e.g. form a colorful rainbow on the plate using vegetables of different hues.
- Become a role model - It plays an important part in shaping children’s eating habits. Parents should display healthful eating behavior in front of their children. This will develop and naturally deviate the child's mind towards eating healthy.
- Get them involved - Most kids will enjoy deciding what to make for dinner. Talk to them about making choices and plan a balanced meal. Let them help you with lunch and dinner planning, grocery shopping, and easy food prep.
- Store healthy snacks in your house - Kids eat the food that you make available at home. Always keep healthy snacks on the lower shelves so that your child can grab them easily. Whole grain crackers, dry fruits or brown bread are some prime examples of what you can store instead of candies and ready to eat foods.
We are sure that these techniques will slowly and steadily transform your child from a picky eater to the one who enjoys eating healthy.
