Every single day, I deal with picky eaters both big and small. I’m the mother of 7-year-old triplets, all of whom have very different eating habits; I’m also a dietitian who teaches the professional athletes on the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls teams how to improve their diets. Although it’s tough to convince a towering basketball player or a 300-pound linebacker that junk food is bad for him, trying to get my kids to eat well can be even more of a challenge.
My daughter Kathleen has severe and life-threatening allergies to eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, and my other daughter Julia will not eat fresh fruit. Luckily, my son, Marty, will try just about anything. Parents constantly tell me that they feel guilty about their children’s diets; they know how important it is to feed their kids healthy foods, but they’re just not sure how to do it. Despite my own background in nutrition, I had to go through some trial and error with my triplets.
Here are the most important lessons I’ve learned, which should help you guide your kids to eat better.
1. Schedule Meals and Snacks
Children need to eat every three to four hours: three meals, two snacks, and lots of fluids. If you plan for these, your child’s diet will be much more balanced and they’ll be less cranky. I put a cooler in the car when I’m out with my kids and stock it with carrots, pretzels, yogurt, and water so we don’t have to rely on fast food.
2. Plan Dinner Menus in Advance
If planning a weekly menu is too daunting, start with two or three days at a time. A good dinner doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be balanced: whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta; a fruit or a vegetable; and a protein source like lean meat, cheese, or beans. I often make simple entree soups or chili ahead of time and then freeze it; at dinnertime, I heat it up and add whole-grain bread and a bowl of sliced apples or melon to round out the meal.
3. Make One Meal for the Whole Family
A few years ago, I got into a bad habit. I’d make two suppers—one that I knew the kids would like and one for my husband and me. It was exhausting. Now I prepare one meal for everybody and serve it family-style so the kids can pick and choose what they want. Children often mimic their parent’s behavior, so one of these days, they’ll eat most of the food I serve them.
4. Don’t Comment on Your Kids’ Eating Habits
As hard as this may be, try not to comment on what or how much your kids are eating. Be as neutral as possible. Remember, you’ve done your job as a parent by serving balanced meals, and your kids are responsible for eating them. If you play food enforcer—saying things like “eat your vegetables”—your child will only resist.
5. Introduce New Foods Slowly
Children are new-food-phobic by nature. I tell my kids that their taste buds must sometimes get used to a flavor before they’ll like the taste. If you feel that your child isn’t getting enough nutrients, talk to your pediatrician or dietitian about ways to add nutrients like adding a multivitamin or a nutrition shake to their eating schedule.
6. Make Healthy Food Fun
If your kids won’t eat vegetables, experiment with condiments and dips. Kathleen tried her first vegetable when I served her a thinly cut carrot with some ranch salad dressing. My children also like ketchup, hummus, salsa, and yogurt-based dressing.
7. Make Mornings Count
Most families don’t eat enough fiber on a daily basis, and breakfast is an easy place to sneak it in. Look for higher-fiber cereals, as a quick fix. Or make batches of whole-grain pancake and waffle batter that last all week.
8. Add a Touch of Sweetness
Julia eats her cooked carrots with a bit of brown sugar, and I mix a little root beer into her prune juice to make prune-juice soda. Kathleen and Marty like a sprinkle of sugar on their fruit. I know that they’ll eventually outgrow this need for extra sweetness, but in the meantime, they’re eating fruits and vegetables.
9. Get Your Kids Cooking
If your children become involved in choosing or preparing meals, they’ll be more interested in eating what they’ve created. Take them to the store, and let them choose produce for you. If they’re old enough, allow them to cut up vegetables and mix them into a salad. Although Julia refuses to eat fresh fruit, we make banana or apple muffins together—and she always eats them once they’re done.
10. Think More, Not Less
Remember, you—not your kids—are in charge of the foods that enter the house, so change your focus to adding more nutritious food choices on hand instead of stressing eating less sweets and treats. By having more readily-available healthy choices around, you can encourage your children to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products.
11. Allow Treats in Moderation
Having less healthy foods occasionally keeps them from becoming forbidden—and thus even more appealing. We call candy, soda, and cookies “sometimes” foods. I generally buy only healthy cereals such as Cheerios and Raisin Bran, but I let my kids have sugary cereals when they visit their grandparents or when we’re on vacation. And I treat them to McDonald’s for lunch every so often.
12. Get Creative with Meals
The more creative the meal is, the greater the variety of foods my kids eat. We make smiley-face pancakes and give food silly names. (Broccoli florets are “baby trees” or “dinosaur food.”) Anything mini is always a hit too. I often use cookie cutters to turn toast into hearts and stars, which the children love.
13. Be a Good Role Model
It’s very important for parents to model positive attitudes and habits around food as well, so it can be helpful to examine your own beliefs about food. Trust your body to tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re full, and your kids will learn to do the same. And don’t be afraid to seek professional help for developing a healthy relationship with food; many of us didn’t grow up with healthy food habits and therapy may be able to help you re-establish your own healthy habits.
Above all else, realize that what your kids eat over time is what really matters. Having popcorn at the movies or eating an ice-cream sundae are some of life’s real pleasures. As long as you balance these times with nutritious food choices and physical activity, your children will be fine.
