Healthy Eating for Children: 6 Steps to Getting It Right!

Do you have difficulty getting your child to eat well at mealtimes?

If you do Lucy Thomas’s fantastic book, “Mange Tout: Teaching Your Children to Love Fruit and Vegetables Without Tears,” may be just the ticket you’re after!

In her book Lucy teaches the principles of how to offer food to children in a way that removes the fear, stress and pressure of trying something new.

Her aim is to put the fun and excitement back into trying new things, and help frustrated parents get back on track teaching healthy eating skills to their children.

Here is a summary of what you need to know…

1. Don’t ask a child to eat, try or taste anything
This may seem a little contradictory, but it’s all about going back to basics, discovering foods and exploring the shape, colour, texture or smell of new foods.

Lucy says children don’t respond positively to statements such as “Just give it a little try.”

Instead encourage your child to explore new foods by kissing, licking, smelling or crunching them – very often this leads to tasting without any prompting, and therefore removes the initial fear.

The other thing to remember is that children love to copy, so if they see you popping fruits and veggies into your mouth and not making a bit deal of it, they may just follow suit.

2. If foods are refused don’t offer an alternative
While it’s very tempting to offer something else when meals are refused, be aware this reinforces the bad habit.

Be strong, and stick with your resolve. Remember, children won’t starve if they miss one meal. It’s also more than likely they will clear their plate at the next meal too.

Between meals offer fresh fruits, vegetable sticks, plain crackers and water or milk, and definitely don’t offer cakes and biscuits, particularly if they don’t eat well at mealtimes.

Check out these healthy kids snack ideas.

3. Get your child involved
I’ve discussed this point before, but it’s really important to reiterate again.

If you want your child to be interested in trying new foods, you need to get them involved in the whole process, from planning, selecting and shopping, to preparing, eating or sampling.

Instead of rushing around the supermarket week after week, why not see it as a wonderful learning experience?

Allow your child to touch the produce, ask questions, ask for their opinions, and to choose their favourite fruits and vegetables or colours. You could also encourage them to pick something to take home and experiment with outside of normal mealtimes if necessary.

4. Be positive about little achievements
Children respond really well to positive reactions from you. So, for example you could say something like, “It’s lovely that you enjoyed your dinner today.”

Lucy suggests using a tape recorder in your home to record your interactions with your family…I absolutely love this idea!

Can you imagine? I cringe to think what it would sound like, but I think it would be invaluable in helping us learn what the tone of our voice actually sounds like, how many times we say “No!”, or how negative we really are.

5. Recognise your food hang-ups
Don’t forget that children imitate their parents, so if your child is fussy, it’s worth taking a look at your own attitudes to food in case you are passing on habits unbeknown to you.

In her book Lucy states that between the age of 7 to 12 months it’s important to introduce as many different flavours as possible to your child, as this is when their taste buds are at their most receptive.

So, go for variety, allow them to expeiemnt with foods and texture, and don’t worry if they make a mess…that’s what it’s all about at this age!

Also, remember that young children often need to be offered foods over and over, so don’t be put off if they refuse the first time.

6. Put yourself in your child’s shoes
I think this is very profound, imagine the situation…

You go to a friend’s house for a meal and are presented with an unidentifiable and unfamilar dish. How do you feel? Obviously you don’t want to offend, so you make a few carefully chosen statements such as, “That looks interesting! I don’t think I’ve tried it before!”

Obviously, your child doesn’t possess the ability to use such sophisticated language yet. But regardless, they may feel similarly apprehansive and afraid to try a meal–albeit something you’ve cooked–as you would yourself when presented with your friend’s unusual and unfamiliar dish.

Do you see the point?

So, what’s the key? It’s to make sure they are prepared and ready for something new before you present it to them.

What do you think of these tips? Will they be useful in helping you encourage healthy eating in your children?

What else does the book contain?
I cannot recommend Lucy’s book enough, personally I feel it should be on every parents bookshelf! If you manage to get your hands on the book it’ll give you…

• Tips on how to do “Mange Tout” at home
• It includes songs, games and activities for learning about fruits and vegetables
• It gives interesting nutrition facts for various fruits and vegetables, which will help you in teaching your child
• It covers how to deal with problems at mealtimes
• It includes some recipes at the end

Other bloggers writing about healthy eating for children:

• Helping Children Learn Healthy Eating Habits: Experimenting With an Unlimited Sweets Drawer
• Healthy Eating Kids: Breakfast
• What Are Your Kids Really Eating for Lunch?

Image credit: mwookie