10 Simple Steps to Healthier Eating for Kids

Helping kids learn healthy eating habits can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Making small changes in your children’s eating habits can drastically influence their health, both now and in the future.

1. Make gradual changes. Kids enjoy familiar foods. If you try and make too many changes to their diet at once they will not be as open to trying new foods.
2. Serve two vegetables at meals. Most kids do not eat enough vegetables. Serving two vegetables gives them a second option if they do not like one of the vegetables and gets them in the habit of including more vegetables in their diet. This is also an easy way to introduce new vegetables to kids because they will still have a familiar vegetable to choose from.
3. Offer fruit for snacks. Fruit is an easy snack because it does not require much preparation. Keep a basket of fruit on the kitchen table for kids to snack on during the day. Fruit cups in light syrup or juice are good substitutes for fresh fruit.
4. Choose low-fat ingredients. You do not have to stop using your favorite family recipes to eat healthier meals but you can substitute some of the ingredients to cut fat. Most recipes will taste just as delicious if you use light cream cheese or light mayonnaise instead of the full fat version.
5. Replace half of the white flour for wheat flour in baked goods. Most baked goods will not loose any of their texture if you substitute wheat flour for half of the white flour. Cookies, Cakes, and other baked goods can get an easy fiber boost by using whole wheat flour.
6. Substitute applesauce for fat in baked goods. You may have to experiment a bit with each recipe but in general, you can substitute an equal amount of applesauce for the fat in the recipe.
7. Serve snacks high in protein and fiber. Snacks that contain high amounts of protein and fiber such as wheat bread, cheese, and nuts will keep kids full longer and provide vital nutrients to help them grow. Filling up on nutrient dense food may limit kids’ desires for unhealthy snacks between meals.
8. Eat dinner together as a family. Planning your meals and eating together as a family instead of snacking or eating out can make a huge difference in achieving a healthy diet. Not only will family meal time nourish your family, but it will also help you to grow closer together and help you share important milestones in life.
9. Be an example. Kids generally follow their parents eating habits. If you are giving your child an apple for a snack while you are sneaking cookies in the other room they are going to know about it. Show your kids that healthy eating is important to you and that you enjoy eating healthy foods.
10. Treat yourself. Being overly restrictive in your diet may encourage kids to overindulge when they have the opportunity. An age appropriate portion of dessert can help kids learn a healthy balance.

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