YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Winter 2017 | Page 7

YMCA CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
YMCA Children’s Programs believe in instilling positive and healthy attitudes
at an early age, by providing a safe, nurturing and fun environment for
children to reach their full potential. Find out more at ymca.org.au
HELP FUSSY CHILDREN
EAT MORE FRUIT AND
VEGETABLES
Share in these top tips to help kids eat healthier, from YMCA Children’s Programs.
ccording to Australian Dietary
Guidelines, children aged four to
eight years should be eating
four to five serves of vegetables and
legumes per day, and one to two serves
of fruit. Fruit and veggies provide
necessary fluid, nutrients, vitamins and
fibre for growing bodies and are essential
for good health. Children with a diet high
in fresh food will have more energy and
happier moods. While it’s quite normal
for children to go through fussy stages
and refuse to eat fruits and vegetables,
setting up healthy habits during
childhood will ensure they eat properly
well into the future. Here are some tips
to encourage healthy eating.
A
1
Set a good example
Children look up to their parents and
unconsciously begin to copy their
behaviours. If they see you happily
eating fruits and vegetables daily, they
will be more likely to develop the same
habits as they grow older.
2
Persist!
It may take some children up to ten
times of tasting before they accept a
food, and another ten times before they
will like it and enjoy eating it. Gently
encourage them to keep trying the food,
even if it’s only one bite of broccoli per
dinner. Eventually they will come to like
the food as their tastebuds adjust.
3
Give them praise
Don’t bargain with children using
unhealthy foods. For example, avoid
saying ‘if you eat your greens you can
have ice cream for dessert’ as this
reinforces the idea that eating
vegetables is a chore and it makes
them look forward to sugary treats.
Instead, gently praise when your child
tastes or eats their vegetables and fruit.
They will be more likely to try again if
they get a good reaction from you, as
opposed to if they are punished for not
eating something.
4
Healthy snacks
If you offer your child healthy snacks in
an easily accessible way, they will be
more likely to eat them. Serve up
vegetable sticks on a platter with dip
and cheese before dinner when they
are hungry; the dip and cheese will
make the vegetables more appetising.
Fruit platters make great snacks too
and are easy to eat if the fruit is cut up
into small pieces; this is ideal for those
children who find eating a whole apple
or banana too difficult. If your house is
free of junk food, your child will be
more likely to reach for the container of
carrot sticks in the fridge.
6
Switch up your cooking
The more variety in colours, tastes and
textures that children are introduced to,
the more likely they are to find
something they will like to eat. Roast
vegetables with herbs and lemon juice
to make them tastier; slice them thinly
and mix with pasta; or add them to
homemade pizza.
If your child really won’t eat vegetables
and fruits, then make your blender your
best friend! Make smoothies with fruit
and yoghurt for breakfast, or freeze the
smoothies in icy pole moulds for a
summer treat. Try pureeing vegetables
into pasta sauce, dips and soup.
It’s important to keep trying over a long
period of time. Your children will
eventually form good eating habits and
will learn to love the amazing variety of
tastes and textures out there.
5
Involve the whole
family in cooking
If your child helps with the
cooking, they will be more
excited to eat the meal. If
they are old enough, ask
them to help you cut up
vegetables for dinner.
Younger children can assist
by washing salad leaves
or other vegetables, and
they can be involved
at the shops by
choosing which
fresh produce
to buy.
WINTER 2017 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
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