Do
your children push away spinach or refuse to eat broccoli? Do they shun the
fresh fruit you offer them for snacks and dessert? If you want to inspire your
kids to eat healthier, it helps to make their meals and snacks as
appealing as possible.
As you know from following
the South Beach Diet, healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, can be just as
tempting as junk food (and ideally more so). Start by asking your children for
a list of their favorite foods (cookies and cake don’t count). Then make an
effort to incorporate some of their picks into the daily meals that you
prepare.
Do your children have a soft spot for mashed potatoes? Introduce them
to the South Beach Diet version, which uses cauliflower. They’ll be surprised
how good it is! Do they love after-dinner sweets? Serve them strawberries or
banana pieces that they can dip in a little melted dark chocolate. Most
importantly, show your kids that you practice what you preach and set a good
example by enjoying healthy meals at the dining table along with them. And do
make a concerted effort to get any junk food out of the house. Here are five more
ways to get your kids excited about fruits and vegetables:
- Don’t
force your children to eat what’s on their plate. Provide them with small
servings of new foods at first, then reintroduce those foods regularly in
various ways. Perseverance will pay off.
- Encourage your children to
help with meal preparation and cooking. Studies have shown that children will readily
try foods if they have helped to prepare them. Let your younger kids do simple
tasks like scrambling eggs, making sandwiches, mixing liquids and sauces, and measuring
ingredients. Older children can help toss salads and dressings, cut vegetables
and fruits, and stir ingredients in a pan.
- Get dipping: Kids love to
dip. Serve raw veggies with a low-sugar prepared ranch dressing or hummus.
- Let your children taste
the difference between canned, frozen, or fresh veggies (don’t tell them which
is which in advance), and let them choose their favorite. In many cases, canned
and frozen can be as healthy as fresh.
- Use cookie cutters to make
fun shapes out of melon slices. Kids love experimenting — and eating their
experiments.
- Help kids make frozen
fruit kebabs using orange slices, melon chunks, berries, bananas, grapes, and
kiwis.
See all South Beach Diet Tips