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Episode 2408:
Dr. Laura Markham shares actionable advice for helping children embrace healthier eating habits, particularly with vegetables. She highlights strategies like exposure to new foods, creative snack options, incorporating veggies into family recipes, and fostering a no-pressure environment to encourage positive associations with nutritious meals.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.peacefulparenthappykids.com/read/how-to-help-children-become-healthy-eaters-especially-vegetables
Quotes to ponder:
"Research has shown that the most important factor in getting kids to eat new foods is exposing them to the food."
"I would NEVER force a child to eat a specific food. I think it's fine to ask them to try one taste, but if they don't want more, that's their prerogative."
"Mostly, I should reassure you that most kids end up eating diets much like what they grew up eating."
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[00:00:00] Now before we start, you might want to check out our other podcasts covering topics like personal development and minimalism, money, health, relationships, and more. So to optimize your life in other areas, just search for Optimal Living Daily in your podcast app. Now on to the show.
[00:00:18] Hello everybody and welcome back to another bonus episode as we produce each Sunday here on ORD. I'm your host Greg Audino and in this week's bonus episode, I'll be sharing audio from a previously aired episode of our health show, Optimal Health Daily, which I highly recommend checking out if you are looking for great articles and advice brought to you by Dr. Neil Malik, our host over there who does a really terrific job. Let's hear what he has for us this time as we optimize your life.
[00:00:48] How to Help Children Become Healthy Eaters, Especially Vegetables by Dr. Laura Markham of PeacefulParentHappyKids.com
[00:00:58] Question. Dr. Laura, can you recommend an approach for kids to ensure they eat their five servings of fruits and veggies every day? When do you offer them? What if they spit them out? Do we insist they eat? How do we respect their wishes and yet ensure they don't become kids who pick out
[00:01:16] veggies from their foods and become picky eaters? We have a two-year-old and a four-year-old? Thanks. Answer. I'm not a nutritionist, I'm a psychologist, but I have found that psychology plays a part in helping children learn to eat healthy.
[00:01:32] The reason kids resist new foods is that new foods could be dangerous. In other words, kids who just ate anything new, who were adventurous eaters, often did not live to pass on their genes.
[00:01:45] Most toddlers and many preschoolers do not like their food to touch. In other words, to be mixed up. Some do, but most don't.
[00:01:54] I think that's part of the self-protective thing that ensures they don't inadvertently eat something poisonous.
[00:02:01] So, most kids do like it better when the veggies are separated from the pasta, for instance, and will pick them out.
[00:02:08] Research has shown that the most important factor in getting kids to eat new foods is exposing them to the food.
[00:02:15] In other words, even if they won't try asparagus the first three times it's on their plate, they might try it the fourth time.
[00:02:22] Eventually, they are almost certain to try it.
[00:02:25] If you consistently serve lots of veggies, your children will eat veggies.
[00:02:30] And I think all children love fruit, if they are served it all the time, as long as they don't get a lot of sweets.
[00:02:36] Kids eat what gets served at their house.
[00:02:39] If a child really does not like a specific vegetable that's served that night,
[00:02:44] then why not have a rule that they can have a different one that night?
[00:02:47] My own personal rule was always that they could have raw carrots out of the bag in place of a veggie they didn't like.
[00:02:54] It's still very nutritious, and most kids like carrots.
[00:02:57] With a two-year-old, you would need to be sure they eat them safely, of course.
[00:03:01] The other easy option is frozen, uncooked peas.
[00:03:05] Many kids love the cold texture.
[00:03:07] So, you can easily pour some peas on their plate if they don't want their Brussels sprouts.
[00:03:13] Remember that since kids are small, they don't need very much of any one food to equal a serving.
[00:03:18] How to get the five fruits and veggies then?
[00:03:21] If you always serve at least one veggie and one salad at dinner,
[00:03:25] and you always have fruit for dessert, or before dessert if you have a sweet dessert for a special occasion,
[00:03:31] then kids will always get at least two veggies and a fruit at dinner.
[00:03:35] You can always serve fruit with breakfast and fruit with lunch too.
[00:03:39] For another veggie, why not make veggies a snack during the day?
[00:03:43] Kids are more likely to eat them then when they aren't by the pasta or whatever the child prefers on the dinner plate.
[00:03:50] I think that hungry time of day at 4pm is the perfect time for veggies.
[00:03:55] Celery sticks with peanut butter are a time-honored, kid-pleasing snack.
[00:03:59] But why not branch out?
[00:04:01] Baked sweet potatoes are very nutritious and make a great snack with a little sea salt.
[00:04:05] Cut up red pepper or zucchini sticks don't even need dip.
[00:04:09] Most kids like roasted veggies, and they're good served at room temperature.
[00:04:13] So, make extra when you cook them for dinner, and serve them to your children as snacks throughout the week.
[00:04:19] Sprouts may sound like they wouldn't be kid-friendly,
[00:04:21] but when my daughter got to be school-age,
[00:04:24] she would always snack on the healthy things I put in front of her while she was doing homework.
[00:04:28] So, I would give her little dishes of greens to snack on.
[00:04:31] And now that she's a teen, she eats sprouts and raw, mild greens as snacks.
[00:04:37] There are also many recipes online that help you to hide veggies in foods you cook.
[00:04:42] I don't think of this as tricking kids so much as,
[00:04:45] this is the way we cook it at our house.
[00:04:48] So, for instance, I always grind a little bit of spinach up into my spaghetti sauce,
[00:04:52] and add butternut squash to mac and cheese.
[00:04:55] Kids like the taste of the dish, and as they get older,
[00:04:58] they just accept those ingredients as part of your secret yummy recipe.
[00:05:02] All humans have likes and dislikes,
[00:05:05] but some people are more picky as eaters than others.
[00:05:08] However, most kids will branch out and develop a broader range of foods they like
[00:05:13] by the time they are teenagers.
[00:05:15] I would never force a child to eat a specific food.
[00:05:19] I think it's fine to ask them to try one taste,
[00:05:22] but if they don't want more, or even if they spit it out,
[00:05:25] that's their prerogative.
[00:05:26] In other words, I would never insist a child eat something she feels like spitting out.
[00:05:31] In my personal experience from childhood,
[00:05:34] that almost guarantees she will always hate that food.
[00:05:38] Also, research shows that rewarding kids for eating veggies,
[00:05:42] for instance, by serving them dessert, can backfire.
[00:05:45] It seems to solidify that veggies must really be disgusting,
[00:05:50] or we wouldn't need to reward them for eating them.
[00:05:53] Mostly, I should reassure you that most kids end up eating diets
[00:05:56] much like what they grew up eating.
[00:05:58] So, enjoy your own healthy meals,
[00:06:01] and your children will eventually follow in your footsteps.
[00:06:08] You just listened to the post titled,
[00:06:10] How to Help Children Become Healthy Eaters,
[00:06:12] Especially Vegetables,
[00:06:13] by Dr. Laura Markham,
[00:06:15] of PeacefulParentHappyKids.com
[00:06:18] And I'll be right back with my commentary.
[00:06:21] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.
[00:06:23] All of Dr. Laura's suggestions were fantastic.
[00:06:26] Another one that researchers have found can work
[00:06:29] is to involve children in the planning and preparing of family meals.
[00:06:33] Children love to see how their efforts are enjoyed and appreciated by the family.
[00:06:37] So, have the child suggest a meal that they would want the family to eat.
[00:06:41] If they suggest something that's not so nutritious like mac and cheese,
[00:06:45] gently guide them in a new direction by suggesting alternatives
[00:06:49] or asking them if they want to help you browse for recipes on the internet.
[00:06:54] Then, have the child help with making a grocery shopping list.
[00:06:58] When it comes time to shop for the foods, bring them along.
[00:07:02] Have them help pick out the best ingredients for the recipe,
[00:07:05] especially when it comes to any produce.
[00:07:07] If possible, have them help prepare the meal and taste it along the way.
[00:07:12] By the end of this adventure, you may find
[00:07:15] they are happily eating foods that they would have refused to try
[00:07:18] just a few days before.
[00:07:20] All right, that'll do it for the Monday episode.
[00:07:23] Thank you so much for being here every day and sharing this show with others.
[00:07:26] I hope you have a great start to your week
[00:07:28] and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual
[00:07:30] where your optimal life awaits.