Getting your kids to eat a healthy, well-balance diet is like getting a camel to go through the head of a needle. All they want to do is eat sugar, bread, pasta, and any other form of carbohydrates they can get their hands on. Nothing is wrong with carbohydrates, but a diet rich in carbs and nothing else is a diet that can lead to suboptimal health.
I can only imagine how difficult it may be to get them consistently eating veggies. And I can imagine that it’s far easier to cave and just have them eat something, because something is better than nothing.
But don’t.
Don’t cave, don’t give in. Encouraging your kid to eat a well balanced diet isn’t only going to allow them to have a healthier childhood, but it will also impact the behaviors and habits they have as adults. This is something worth fighting for, and these tips will help you continue to fight for your kid’s health.
TIP #1: THINK LIKE A KID
As adults, we tend to forget that we used to be kids. We used to hate certain foods, especially vegetables. Heck, a lot of us still act like kids when it comes to food. I know I’m guilty of eating a massive bowl of cereal instead of a massive bowl of brussels sprouts because that sugary crunch just sounded better.
In order to get our kids to eat well, we need to think like them.
Kids have an amazing imagination. They can create their own world spontaneously as each new thought crosses their mind. They can put themselves into the eyes of a superhero, an animal, or whatever it may be.
Cater to that.
One of my favorite, mind-blowing tips to give people when they want to get their kids to eat more nutrient dense food is to cater to their role-model or favorite super hero. I don’t know one boy that doesn’t like the hulk. I also don’t know one boy that doesn’t like pancakes. But most of them hate spinach. So, blend the spinach in the pancake mix, making it green, and call them hulk pancakes. They can put syrup, agave, honey, or whatever they like on top. And they have a serving of greens that they won’t even taste.
No matter what it is, you can find a way to sneak veggies into your kids meals. The good ol’ pancake mix works real well.
TIP #2: ORDER FOODS BY IMPORTANCE
You may see this as mean, but parents that have used this tip swear by it.
There is usually an order in which kids want to eat their food. They want eat the carbs and fat first, the protein second, and if they’re absolutely ravenous the may eat the vegetables. But usually, they finish their carb and hardly make it through the protein.
So, here’s what you do. Rather than giving them the whole meal at one time, give them what they never eat but should eat first. That can be a salad or whatever other veggies you are serving for dinner. Tell them that when they are done with their veggies, they can have their protein. And when they’re done with their protein they can have their carb.
Sorry, kiddo. If you want your mashed potatoes, you need to eat your salad first. Then after you eat your salad you can have your steak. And when you’re done with your steak you can have your mashed potatoes!
They likely will revolt and refuse to eat anything at all. This is where you gotta stand strong. They know that if they threaten to go the night without food, you may cave because you love them so darn much you don’t want them to starve.
They won’t starve.
Let them end the night without food. They will be irritable, grouchy, and a royal pain in your ass, but if you stand firm they’ll realize mom and dad aren’t f****ing around, and they’ll do what you say. Because they ultimately don’t want to starve. And if they’re that hungry, they’ll eat what is in front of them.
TIP #3: ONLY HEALTHY OPTIONS IN THE HOUSE
One of the easiest ways to get your kids to eat healthier is to make eating healthy the only possible choice. That’s what we even do as adults. Heck, that’s what I do, and I’m a health and fitness coach. I live a much healthier life when I have to go way out of my way to get my hands on the unhealthy snack that I am craving.
Do the same with your kids.
If they like to snack on goldfish, have some cheese and fruit ready for them to snack on. If they want to snack on chips, air-fry some potato wedges. If they want to have milkshake, make them a super smoothie with some greens.
If they really want that snack, they’ll take the healthy alternative. If they don’t, they’ll say “eh, that doesn’t sound good.” And that’s when you say “ok” and get along with your day.
A great way to live a healthy lifestyle is to make the good choices the easy choices, and make the bad choices, the hard choices.
TIP #4: GET CREATIVE
In order to get your kids to eat more veggies, you’re going to need to get creative with your recipes. Make a list of some of their favorite meals and foods. Then, find ways you can sneak some greens in there. One of my favorites is to serve spinach pasta or black bean pasta instead of regular pasta. The texture is the same, and they won’t even notice the taste because it’s drenched in spaghetti sauce anyway.
Maybe they love lasagna, find a way to throw some veggies in there. Maybe they love fruit juice and they want to drink it by the gallon. Make a smoothie with a little fruit juice and some blended greens would do the trick.
You get the point. You’re simply going to have to go out of your way and do lots of trial and error, but it’ll be worth it.
TIP #5: TAKE ANYTHING AS A VICTORY
A lot of parents get frustrated because the expectations they have on their kids are absurd. “Johnny is so frustrating. He only eats about a handful of salad which is about one tenth the massive bowl I serve him.”
Woah, cool it, Karen. Johnny is doing fine.
When I coach my clients, make recommendations to people, or even aim to improve my health and fitness journey, I always begin by suggesting very small changes to build upon. I’ll give you an example. I neglect my stretching and mobility more than any other thing in regards to fitness. I hardly ever do it. So my goal for 2020 was to do five, 10-minute stretching and mobility sessions per week. Sounds pretty simple, right? Only 10 minutes per day. Well, I didn’t do it. And I got so frustrated with myself. In the midst of that frustration I had a realization. I thought, why in the world am I this upset when I used to do literally no stretching or mobility work before? So, I reduced the expectation. I set out to complete ONE stretching and mobility session per week, and I’ve been consistently building.
Same goes for your kid. You can’t expect your kid to want to eat like some sort of prehistoric herbivore when he/she used to vomit at the thought of vegetables.
Start small with them. If they never eat anything green, and they choose to eat two bites of your hulk pancake before pushing it away, that is a HUGE victory.
Start small with them, and build when they are consistent with the initial challenge you gave them.
TIP #6: LEAD BY EXAMPLE
This tip is the last thing parents want to hear, because it causes accountability and responsibility to be put on us. But, we must take that and lead by example.
You may not realize it, but you are your kids’ idols. They may want to watch some youtuber’s videos all day long, but they really do look up to you, and they will mimic your actions. So you must lead.
If you want your kids to eat their greens before they can eat their potatoes, you need to do the same for yourself. If you want your kids to only eat healthy snacks, you need to do the same for yourself. Being an adult does not exempt you from the responsibility of leading.
When you choose to do what your kids are asking you to do, they will see that it is done for a reason, as opposed to being something that their parents are making them do because they are kids. There is nothing worse than a kid being told that they have to do something because they’re kids and mommy and daddy don’t because they’re adults.
That’s a cop out. Don’t do that. Lead by example.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Get in your kid’s head. Make veggies cool. Make them apply to their life and interests, rather than your desire for them to be healthy.
Does your kid really want her fries? Too bad, she can’t have them until she finishes her salad.
Make the good choices the easy choices, and the bad choices the hard choices.
Get creative. Think of ways you can introduce veggies into your kid’s favorite recipes
A win is a win, no matter how small.
Don’t ask your kid to do something you wouldn’t do. Lead by example.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.
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