Children and nutrition

There are so many good and healthy foods out there that children just won't eat. My oldest was as picky as they come until I told him he was no longer allowed to be. I remember when I was a kid, I had to eat everything on my plate or no dessert. I didn't complain, I ate it. It's as simple as that: if you allow your children to be picky they will.

Of course, preferred tastes develop over time. It takes a child trying a new food approximately ten times before they will develop a taste for it. So introduce your children to all those healthy fruits and vegetables and proteins (like fish), and eventually they will happily gobble them up. If you need to sneak in the introductions, go ahead. Add pureed squash or carrots to your spaghetti sauce and they will still grow to like it. Soup is a wonderful way to disguise fruits and veggies. Cook whatever vegetables and fruit you like with water or broth and puree it. Name it Cream of Something, and serve with crackers. Smoothies are another fun idea. This way your child can pick what fruits or veggies he or she likes and down several servings with one beverage. 

Sometimes there are foods a child will not eat though, such as meat. If your child chooses to be a vegetarian, make sure he or she gets plenty of the iron and protein from other sources. Dark, leafy green vegetables are a high source, as well as eggs, some fruit, sweet potatoes, nuts, and fortified milk and cereals.  Do your research to figure out portion sizes, recommended servings ffor the age group, and suitable alternatives for any food groups they are missing. You will find you have a happier and better behaved child if they are receiving their recommended diet.

While we are at it, here are some other hints regarding food. If your child does get a sugary treat, always balance it with a protein. Spread nut butter on a chocolate chip cookie if you have to. The protein will regulate the sugar so the child's blood sugar does not increase so much, thus saving them from the rapid drop (and energy slump) otherwise, and the behavioral changes that a spike in blood sugar tends to create.  

If your child loves cheese and crackers, spend a little time cutting the cheese from a block. You are avoiding all the chemicals and additives that are put into those snack packages. If your child likes chips, invest in a chip maker. Buy the potatoes, slice them with a special tool, and microwave them in the chip maker with your choice of seasoning for a very healthy movie snack. You are still giving them chips, but again, without the chemicals and additives that are put into the processed kind.

Processed food is another one to avoid when you can. Take some time on the weekend to do some food preparation, like slicing veggies and meat, so you have healthy and convenient real food to add to quick dinners. Cut up some fruit too, so you can snack on it throughout the week. Many sauces can be made in advance as well. A slow-cooker is a great tool for busy moms, because if you have done the veggie preparation, you can whip up a healthy soup in the morning in under five minutes, and by dinnertime it will be ready to eat.

Experiment with food to find ways to get the vitamins into your child. I have to drizzle a slight amount of real maple syrup onto carrots to get my boys to eat them, but the sugar is natural and they are getting tons of vitamins from the carrots. Make natural and healthy food a normal part of daily life and your picky eater will be replaced by a child who craves good food.