A question that Aaron and I get a lot is about food. We try to eat healthy we really do. I still have the occasional cheese sticks from Sonic. We do make nachos once a week. I have an occasional diet coke every now and then. I crave them when I eat Mexican food. Yesterday we were at Juan in a Million's enjoying some wonderful breakfast tacos and Deacon asked why I was drinking a coke when they are so bad for you. He was perplexed at why I would do that. Oh dear that hit me hard. I told him I wouldn't drink anymore and I'm going to try to not drink anymore IN FRONT of them!!! I am trying to cut back though. I was completely of of them, then the holiday' and that just makes it easier. OH the holiday's!!!
Okay back to the question we get asked a lot. People want to know how we get our kids to eat good healthy foods. They eat veggies, quinoa, fruits, smoothies, tuna fish, brussel sprouts, salads, green peppers, actually they will eat just about anything you put in front of them.
You ready for how we did it. Oh it is a hard and complex formula. You ready …..
WE MADE THEM EAT THEM.
That's it. We made them. Yeap we're their parents and they are the kids and we tell them what to do! It's very complex. They sit down at the table, they eat what we give them or they don't get up, or don't eat, or miss out on extra fun stuff after dinner. It works every time.
Another thing that has to happen is that the parents must be eating good foods. If you are loading your plate up with everything but fruits and veggies and expect your kids to eat them, then good luck with that one! You must set a good example! Try teaching them your 14 day workout challenge and they will get instantly interested on a healthy life since they are kids.
After Cayden I thought people that said they had picky eaters were making it all up. Cayden ate anything we put in front of him. He was so good and compliant and healthy. Then Deacon came along and made me eat all my bad thoughts about people with picky kids. You see Deacon would eat nothing but bananas and bread. It's true. Nothing. I struggled with what to do for him. So we started doing all that we knew how to do. We put food on his plate and he had to eat something of everything. At first it was one bite. You may not leave this table until you eat one lima bean. Or you may not have any banana until you eat a piece of broccoli. Slowly but surely they begin to catch on.
Then you make it bigger. You have to eat half of this before you can have this. You see they have to do it. You make them.
Now we're starting all over again with Story. Let me just say she is a great eater and will eat about everything and anything you put in front of her. I mean for the love this girl weighs 30 lbs! She loves to eat! But we're noticing there are some things she won't even try. We haven't been too hard on her b/c she just got here, but we decided last night that we're giving her a few more months and then she begins the “program”!!
Aaron and I take lots of vitamins each day to make sure we're getting all we need. I have a huge back up system with my kids to make sue they are getting all they need.
We buy JUICE PLUS and they each get one a day. The bottle says they may have 2 per day, but come on we have a lot of kids here, so we just do one a day for everyone! They take the veggie and the fruit one and it helps me know that if we have an off day they are getting good stuff anyways
We also buy Kidz Super Food from Amazing Grass and they each drink this once a day. This juice combines 32 rainbow colored fruits and veggies into a delicious berry drink powder.
Now both of those things are expensive, but our kids health is something we believe in. We believe in it enough that we put line items in our budget for it.
So …. that's how we make our kids eat healthy foods. Are we perfect at it? No. Do we try really really hard to provide them with good food choices? Yes.
What about you? Tell me your suggestions for getting kids to eat good, healthy foods. I'm sure there are lots of parents are there that would love to hear how you do it!
We do the same thing you do. Our family is large also so we chose not to allow our children to tell us what they will and will not eat. If we put it in front of them, they are either required to eat it or they go to bed hungry (ok, I will admit, we give them a spoonful of peanut butter before bed if they skip dinner). We have a VERY VERY hard time with our youngest boy…he makes me crazy, in fact, he makes me so crazy, we are at a loss as to what to do with him…but one of the things we have totally done is allowed our children to try NEW and CRAZY things as often as possible…which sometimes mean they get things they don’t appreciate like a grown up might appreciate it. Does that make sense? Like if we happen to have crab legs, they get to taste them…if we have goat cheese with chocolate wrapped around it (which we made this week btw and it was YUMMY)…they get to try it. We want their pallets to appreciate healthy as well as different foods…
Ok, there is my book on food with kids!
We are far from eating healthy all the time but my kids do eat a lot of things others won’t. My FIL is always shocked that both my kids love salads. And you’re right…a lot of it is because we are eating salads all the time and they want a bite of it. And I agree..forcing them to at least try things usually does the trick. Sometimes things don’t look good but they taste great. And we aren’t beyond a little bribery to get them to try things.
One other thing you touched on is educating your children. I have found if they know that water is helping their body do so many things, they are more apt to drink it. Same for sugar…educate them on all the reasons it’s bad for you and they will understand more when you restrict it.
Also, I’ve found the whole process is easier when you don’t keep the bad things in your house. A few years back I just quit making sweet tea altogether so it wasn’t even a choice. Water, milk and orange juice is all I keep on a regular basis.
Thank you!!! So many people think I am a mean mom because my kids do what I tell them to do. I make them eat as well. They go to bed when I tell them to and they take a nap when I tell them to, even the six year old. After we eat a meal at the table as a family (always) they get up scrape their plates and load their dirty dishes in the dishwasher (even the two year old) and wash their hands – all without being told because I started it this way when they all joined our family just 6 months ago. I am so excited to read that another mom is tough but loves her kids just like I do!
Gracey (our oldest) drove us nuts with not eating what was put in front of her. We did the cover the plate thing. We put a meal in front of her, if she did not want to eat it, we covered it and brought it for the next meal. We used one meal four times! After that she started eating what she “didn’t like” first. She became a great eater. We didn’t have to do this with the next two…they just followed her lead. People are amazed by our healthy eaters. Alia (age 7) was at a friend’s house and asked for a salad for lunch instead of the hot dogs and chips! It was a great moment. That mom called and asked how we did it. We all eat the same meals. We do enjoy treats too. It seems that making everything “bad” makes them want it more. Jamie, you guys are way healthier than we are, but we require a fresh fruit with breakfast and lunch. Fresh veggies with lunch and veggies with dinner. We balance proteins and carbs and encourage lots of water. It’s been working for us!
Thanks for your encouragement to stick with it in serving good foods. Fruits are not a problem in our home but veggies are a challenge. When I can purée them in pasta sauce the kids eat them no problem. My son used to eat “anything” if he could dip it in ketchup! Even broccoli. We have the juice plus gummies but it’s funny how they still only like the fruit ones. One thing we do that works great to curb the sweet tooth and the whining for dessert is to have designated dessert nights. We do Tuesdays and Fridays. The kids know not to ask for sweets. Our response to sweets requests is always, “it’s not dessert night.” Now the kids only ask, “is it dessert night tonight?” I think you’ve for sure encouraged me to step it up a notch however for the new year! Thanks. Happy new year!