Meals can feel like a struggle with children today. Kids are marketed to directly today via mobile devices, television and YouTube video advertising, and even with product placement in movies and cartoons. This creates a delicate tug-of-war between parents (you) and brands vying to get your kids to eat what you believe is best and foods they want to sell to you for them, respectively.
The top challenges are how to convincingly present healthy meals for the kids that they’ll enjoy, making the process fun for you and the children, and finding reliable resources for meal planning and healthy recipes. In this article, we are going to cover each of these topics to get you on the road to preparing and presenting healthy meals for the kids.
Healthy Children Eat Healthy Foods
In 2014, researchers published in the American Journal of Public Health entitled, “Relationship Between Diet and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review,” that they reviewed a dozen epidemiological studies. As its name implies, they reviewed the current literature on the link between children’s nutritional habits and their mental health. As you might imagine, they concluded there was compelling evidence to show that children and adolescents exposed to poor patterns and quality of nutrition had higher rates of depressive disorders and symptoms, and the reverse was also convincing.
The end result: your children’s mental well-being is tied to what they consistently put in their mouths. And, as a parent, it’s up to you to defend their healthy brains from being damaged. This is no simple chore. But, here are some ways to overcome the major threats to keeping healthy meals for the kids front and center.
First, pay attention to what marketing messages are being presented to your children. When you see the presentation of unhealthy foods in entertainment your children are consuming, make sure they know that, “We are a healthy foods family.” This is a way to explain to children, that eating healthily is a family goal and a socially important activity. If you repeat this often and sincerely, children will usually follow without issue.
Next, children are very influenced by their peers. So, if out at a social gathering, and your children’s friends get to have sugary and processed snacks, your child is going to lust after those “foods” for social acceptance. In moderation, you can acquiesce to a snack here and there among their friends so they don’t become embarrassed. Present them with the healthy options and if they accept, great. Although, shaming them publicly if they don’t accept them is usually going to backfire.
On the flip side, when your kids have friends over, make sure to introduce them to healthy meals. Let your children’s friends know that, “We are a healthy foods family.” This puts the onus on you and takes some of the pressure off your kids (though not completely). Be sure to offer healthy meal options positively and if their friends aren’t interested, let them know you’ll set it aside for when they’re hungry later.
Finally, offer healthy foods as the only options for meals. But, don’t punish children for not eating healthy options. Positive behavior should get rewarded with praise. And, I bet once the hunger pangs kick in (for your kids or their friends), those healthy meals and treats will look more enticing!
Eating Healthy Can Be a Fun, Family Festivity
Eating healthy becomes dramatically easier when everyone in the family is doing it. You are your children’s role models. You and your spouse must watch what you eat, especially in front of your kids. (Sorry, but if you eat processed and high sugar foods behind their backs, that’s not helping you or them in the long run either. Plus, they’ll know. Kids always know.)
As well, make eating healthy a game. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it does need to match the development stage of each child. So, while PBS Healthy Habits games might work for young children, you’ll need to be a bit cooler for the older they are. If you’re interested, check out this recorded Webinar, “How to design games children want,” (with Q&A here) to learn more about the principles of good game design for children.
Resources to Find Healthy Meals and Recipes for the Kids
(Source: Sesame Street Communities)
Even Cookie Monster of Sesame Street is getting wise to eating healthy, albeit still without portion control! There are many reliable sources for finding healthy meal recipes for the kids. Here are a few that will help:
- Food Network has created the “Eat Right” section of their website developed for healthy meals for the kids. Everything from DIY baby food to healthy snacks kids can make themselves.
- Eating Well’s Healthy Kids Recipes covers finger foods, breakfast, lunch, and snack recipes. The site even has the ability to create a free account and print or save your favorite recipes for the kids.
- Harvard School of Public Health has published a great resource called the Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate (pictured below), and on their website you can find information about each food group with related recipes.
Copyright © 2015 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For more information about The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/kids-healthy-eating-plate.
How do you get your kids to eat healthily? What kinds of challenges have you faced, and what have you tried to overcome them? We’d love to hear!