Have you been TRYING to get your kids on the HEALTHY foods train but feeling like your forever destined to sit in the backseat of the struggle bus?
We have all been there, and don't let ANY fancy mommy blogger photos lead you to believe otherwise.
First things first: use the 90/10 rule:
{The 90% is always what matters, the 10% is nothing to stress about.}
So, if your doing your darn best 90% of the time and 10% of the time you throw chocolate at your kids and tell em to go take a hike it's o-k, we get you 😆 #themotherhoodisreal
Many of the moms I connect with are searching for the secret sauce on….
HOW to get their kids to eat better.
Here’s the deal,
I cant promise you a big change overnight, BUT, i can promise you some secret sauce tips that are sure to perform!
Keep on reading, lets get you and your littles off the struggle bus and on the way to fun town!
(I’m a mom I have to say corny things like this!)
Ok NUMERO UNO,
Go back and read what i said in the beginning about the 90-10 rule because its THEE most important part. Mindset is everything and if you keep stressing out and focusing on the parts that should be restricted your going to stay stuck, your kiddos will feel that and their eating habits wont change.
“Its the 90% that matters, give YOURSELF + your kiddos grace in the 10%”
TWO.
Play the food facts game.
Did you know that watermelon is actually a veggie?! Yes, its infact NOT a fruit. Watermelon JUICE is incredibly hydrating for busy little bees who are running around in the summer heat!
When you have kids that are in the age range of 2-6 (if you got to this blog i can bet that you do) it can be difficult to change their habits but i assure you, it CAN be done.
I have a 6 year old that was basically living on pasta + rice at the age of 2years old and she now eats a wide variety of plant based foods. It was not an instantaneous change but her health and my sanity was 100% worth the effort put in.
What exactly is “the food facts game”?
The food facts game is just what it sounds like, facts about food. It can be tailored to your childs age and made to be FUN.
Heres an example conversation between myself and my 4year old…
Me: What do you think you would like to eat for dinner tonight babe?
Her: Mmmmm pasta!
Me: Ok that sounds yummy, and what else can we have? Can you think of anything COLORFUL that we can eat with our pasta?
Her: I dont know mama.
Me: Lets think about foods that are GREEN. We can take turns, you go first!
Her: OK! ummmm, peas but i dont like peas mama.
Me: Thats a good one, how about lettuce!
Her: Oooo or broccoli, broccoli is green.
Me: Yes, i love broccoli, do you know where broccoli grows?
Her: on trees.
Me: well not exactly, it does look like a tree when it grows but it grows like a small bush in the garden!
Her: ohhh.
Me: Do you know who else is SO BIG and likes to eat broccoli?
Her: WHO mama?
Me: Dinosaurs!
Her: wow dinosaurs?
Me: yesss!! Some dinosaurs eat just plants! How cool is that?
Her: so cool mama.
Me: Should we make broccoli tonight with our pasta?
Ok you see where this is going right!?
I like to incorporate this game in to grocery shopping as well. Now I know as busy moms and moms who sometimes need a little quiet time we might not ALWAYS like to bring our kids along to the grocery store but if you put it on the calendar to do even just once in a while it can be a great learning experience and will make a difference in their food interests. Give them a shopping list. Their own cart if old enough, or just let them help you push. The point is to let them be involved. As you add things to your cart talk about where those things came from, how or where they were grown, and how they got to the store.
When you get home to make dinner, let your kids have a job. It can be as simple as washing the produce, sprinkling some seasoning, or ripping up the lettuce leaves!
“Children are “hands-on” learners. They learn by exploring and manipulating objects in their environment using the five senses: seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, and hearing. Eating and preparing foods can be a great sensory experience for children and a fun learning opportunity!”
THREE
Its all in the prep work.
Have healthy snacks readily available.
Its no surprise to us moms that things can get grumpy real fast. When hunger strikes our toddlers things can go from 0-meltdown in 5,4,3,2,1.
Often what happens is that in an effort to calm our children AND ourselves in these moments we grab something easy that may be “not so healthy”. I GET IT. Honestly I do. I’ve done it and i still do it sometimes but I can tell you from experience that things are SO much better when you are prepared. Easier said than done right? Yep, again, i know. I am one of the worlds biggest procrastinators and “Sunday prep” isn’t exactly my jam but i’ve learned over time that prepping ahead makes my days go MUCH much smoother with far less melt downs. (also i use a lot of peace+calming essential oil so there’s that ;))
So what does “Snack Prep” look like when you are making an effort to transition your kids onto healthier habits?
-Pre cut fruit
-Power cookies
-Hummus and Carrot sticks or pretzels!
-Nut+Seed+Granola trail mix
-Fruitsicles or Nicecream
…and the list goes on.
Its easy to just throw a box of cereal at them quick or chips, or something in a box thats probably laden with sugar. —no mom shaming here, i get it, and im not perfect. But i do know that if your prepared it goes smoothly and you wont have to resort to those “junk food” boxed or bagged items so much. Its also great for YOU! How often are you feelin just as hangry as your kid? They feel our energy. When were fed and cool, they will be cool too ;)
FOUR
Would you recommend what YOUR eating?
We as parents are their greatest influence. Now, lets not turn this into a lecture, we get enough of those from our own moms! Id just encourage you to think about eating the oreos in the laundry room at midnight, not in the kitchen at dinner time if ya know what i mean. HA.
The deal is that they WATCH us all day, everyday.
If your asking them to eat veggies and to have a well rounded diet, your own actions better match your requests of them.
Eating + enjoying the healthy foods WITH your children, INFRONT of your children, really really matters!
IF you have just set out on this venture and you’re serving broccoli for dinner but your child is still not quite sure about consuming that veggie, you better make certain YOU are eating the broccoli infront of them anyhow. The last thing you want is a mixed message.
That broccoli is delicious and mommy and the rest of the fam are going to gobble it up to be healthy and strong and soon enough your picky eater will decide to take a bite too!
Side tid bits to remember….
Dont give up. Not every child tries new things right away. In fact it takes some children up to 15 times of seeing a food before they are willing to actually consume it. Instead of loathing the rejection, go into this knowing all good habits take time.
Dont force it. Getting upset and pushing your kids to eat “healthy” foods is not helpful, it will only create resentment. Instead, give your child the choice. Even from a very young age ive told my kids, “these are healthy foods and these are not so healthy foods, if you want to FEEL good we must feed our bodies with healthy foods, what is your choice today?”
Give grace, always. The 90-10 rule is to live by.
If you find you’re really struggling, offer a favorite food in exchange for a healthy food try! This means they are allowed to eat their favorite food IF they first try a healthy food. They may not consume the entire portion, maybe its just a bite, but all progress matters! Developing their taste buds is a gentle process.
Wishing you and your littles much health and happiness!
Sincerely,
A mom whos doin her best!
If this blog post was helpful today please consider sharing it + be sure to hit the <3 + comment below! Thank you friends!When eating a meal is just a task to write off of a a list everyday, its boring and mundane to growing minds. Making food into an experience will change their interests, and in turn, change their dietary habits. — Deetox.your.life