Today’s tips are taken from the feedingkids.tv episode — Veggie and Mince Spaghetti.
Getting kids to eat healthy food can be hard work. It’s all very well to cook up a storm, but what a dreadful waste of time if they won’t eat it. I hate cooking, so if I am going to do it it had better work!
Vouching for the majority of parents, I’d say our number one goal is to get our kids actually eating the healthy food we prepare, but it’s not all about the food or recipe.
The parenting techniques you use to get them to eat right actually end up benefitting children across their whole development, especially enhancing better behaviour and self-esteem.
So start dreaming darlings. Following these tips combined with a couple of years of determination, your kids will be dishing you up gourmet meals as you recline, sipping a chilled wine on an early summer’s evening.
Top tip: Team Effort
Getting kids involved in the kitchen early in life is the key, and the best way is through team effort.
I know sometimes it’s easier to send the kids packing and if that’s what you need to do on a particularly day then go for it. But on the days where you’ve been graced with extra love and patience, get the kids contributing to the preparation of the family meal, even if it’s in the tiniest of ways.
Give kids goals and rewards:Focus your child on becoming part of a team. Eventually they will realise all of its members are valued and in order for a family to thrive, everyone’s contribution is very important.
Work, whether it is washing up, picking fresh herbs, earning a living, etc. should be thought of as a natural part of life and depending on how we look at it, can be made fun and interesting, or in the least, not too painful. Aversion to work is what creates the pain. There is no escaping it for anyone, so the earlier kids learn this lesson, the lesson of acceptance, the happier they will be.
Give kids the fun jobs:Whether it’s cutting the tops off the pasta packets or gathering ingredients, make the tasks exciting to keep your kids interested.
You could get them to throw ingredients, carefully, across the kitchen to you. This work particularly well with tomatoes, because if they fall, it softens them up for the sauce!
There’s no job a kid loves more than to pick fresh herbs from the garden or herb pot, and adding food the pan. And they love stirring, measureing, and rolling anything in flour.
One last thing: Timing.
Put a timer on and see how fast they can do tasks.
Now that is always a winner!
You will find Lorna’s web-series, along with a range of blogs on recipes, chemical free living and children’s health news on the feedingkids.tv site. You’ll even find a forum of children’s health professionals ready to answer your questions.
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