Meal planning is a wonderful way to save money, but it can also be a great way to eat a healthier diet. When you take the time to plan out meals, you’re more apt to fill your pantry and refrigerator with healthy foods. Many parents complain that their children aren’t always happy with the meals and revert back to mac and cheese and other unhealthy kid foods to appease their family. You don’t have to give in. There are healthy ways to teach your child about food and meal planning.
Lead by Example
Never expect your children to make healthy choices, when you make poor choices. If you want your child to choose healthy meals, whether you’re dining in or out, you also need to make healthy choices. Discuss your favorite fruits and vegetables with your children and encourage them to try the healthy foods that you love. Small kids love to mimic their parents and you can use this to your advantage.
Get the Kids Involved
Kids like to have a say in what they wear, what games they plan, and even what they eat. To help encourage your children to choose healthier meals, you need to allow them to make choices. Let them pick out recipes. Let them choose fruits and vegetables to try. Allow them to try new foods at a healthy buffet restaurant.
Create Fun Games
Teaching your children to choose healthy food and meal plans can also be done by making the process fun. For example, you could make a spinning wheel that helps them pick the veggies that will be ate during the week. You could also cut out pictures of healthy foods together and combine them to create healthy meals on an imaginary dinner plate. Just have fun.
Watch Videos on How Food Helps Kids Grow
Kids should also learn how healthy foods can help them grow big and strong. Watching fun videos together can help small children learn how important a healthy diet can be. If possible, find videos that feature their favorite cartoon characters.
Use a Healthy Reward System
Last, but not least, don’t be afraid to use a reward system to encourage healthy eating. The key is to choose a reward system that is based around healthy rewards. For example, each time your child chooses a healthy meal at a restaurant, or even when they browse more carefully through a delivery menu, without being told, he could earn a point. After he earns 10 points, he could win a new basketball, football, etc. The reward would then encourage him to go outside and play, which results in exercise.
You don’t have to give up on the idea of feeding your children a healthy meal. There are a number of easy techniques you can use to teach your children about healthy food and meal plans. You just have to be creative.
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