Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we discussed many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!
Here are 3 easy steps to promote healthy eating for you and your children.
1) Purchase healthy foods.
If you want to eat healthy, you need healthy food options. Want to know more? Here are 8 tips for healthy eating on a budget.
2) Prepare healthy meals.
You have the healthy foods. How do you make a meal? I love the MyPlate model for building a healthy plate. Here are 3 tips for building a healthy meal.
3) Cook with your kids.
Teach your kids life skills. Everyone needs to know how to cook to survive. Cooking at home provides so many opportunities to learn. You learn about where food comes from, flavor combinations, and cooking techniques. You experience different textures and flavors. You learn budgeting and math skills (adding, subtracting, time, and fractions). You also learn that working on something produces great results. If the results aren't great on your first attempt, you learn resilience, patience, and perseverance. It can be said that everything you need to know you can learn in the kitchen.
4) Be a role model.
If you want your kids to eat healthy, show them how. Role model eating healthy meals and snacks. Encourage your kids to be active. Even better, go outside with them! Be an encourager by role modeling. Be a teacher and show them how it's done!
I hope you've enjoyed this month learning more about healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we are discussing many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!
So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". Parents you are role models for your kids. You want the best for them. So, how does that translate to healthy eating? Here are 4 steps you can take to role model healthy eating for kids.
1) Purchase healthy foods.
If you want to eat healthy, you need healthy food options. Want to know more? Here are 8 tips for healthy eating on a budget.
2) Prepare healthy meals.
You have the healthy foods. How do you make a meal? I love the MyPlate model for building a healthy plate. Here are 3 tips for building a healthy meal.
3) Cook with your kids.
Teach your kids life skills. Everyone needs to know how to cook to survive. Cooking at home provides so many opportunities to learn. You learn about where food comes from, flavor combinations, and cooking techniques. You experience different textures and flavors. You learn budgeting and math skills (adding, subtracting, time, and fractions). You also learn that working on something produces great results. If the results aren't great on your first attempt, you learn resilience, patience, and perseverance. It can be said that everything you need to know you can learn in the kitchen.
4) Be a role model.
If you want your kids to eat healthy, show them how. Role model eating healthy meals and snacks. Encourage your kids to be active. Even better, go outside with them! Be an encourager by role modeling. Be a teacher and show them how it's done!
I hope you've enjoyed this month learning more about healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
We all want our children and family to be healthy. How can we support our family's health? One way is healthy eating. Healthy eating starts with your food section and cooking choices. You have the opportunity to teach your children about healthy eating. For more about, age-appropriate kitchen skills and tips for smooth cooking, check out this interviewed I did to provide tips for healthy eating for children for Kids Eat Right Month. Today's interview provides helpful information on the benefits of having kids help us in the kitchen. Check it out!
Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we will discuss many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!
So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". We will discuss several strategies to eat health. So to start, we need to offer healthy options. We can do this in a few simple steps.
1) Have healthy options available.
We discussed 8 tips for eating healthy on a budget earlier this month. This is a simple step that is vital. You have to have healthy options available to eat them. If you fill your fridge, freezer, and pantry with healthy options, you will make a healthy choice by default. Remove the temptation of high calorie and high fat foods by not buying them. If they are not in your home, they are not a temptation.
2) Cook a healthy meal. Have your family, including children, help you in the kitchen.
Cooking meals take time. You can have your roommate, friends, spouse, or your children help you in the kitchen. When we are involved in the cooking, we are more willing and more likely to try the foods. The same is true for children. If they are familiar with a food, they are more likely to try the food.
It is important to make a safety a priority in the kitchen. So, here are some tips for age-appropriate kitchen tasks.
Cooking Skills by Age
- 6-7 years - crack eggs, measure dry ingredients, shuck corn on the cob
- 8-9 years - open cans, whisk ingredients (like scrambled eggs), juice lemons and limes
- 10 years and older - be a sous chef and slice or chop ingredients, boil pasta, use the microwave, bake food in the oven
*Parents, remember to supervise kids at all times in the kitchen.
3) Build a healthy plate.
You've purchased healthy foods. How do you make them appetizing? Use the MyPlate method to build a healthy meal. You can also check out my quick and easy recipe for green chips to help encourage increase intake of vegetables.
Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
