Nutrition Tip: Kids and Food

"MY KIDS WILL NOT EAT THAT." Alright parents-- how many have you have uttered those words?

You love your kids, right? Well kids need healthy food. No multivitamin can take the place of vegetables (not even the cute gummy ones).

I'm sure you want to raise healthy independent children. That means they can take responsibility for their actions and make some of their own decisions, right? Yes. Is disliking all vegetables without reason a good decision? NO! Is forming an opinion about various vegetables after a trial reasonable? Yes.

So.... what do you do?

Let's play a game! Here's how it works:

The Power of 10 GAME

Rules:

1. New foods (vegetables, whole grains, Grandma's lima bean casserole, etc) shall be placed on your child's plate (small portions)

2. Your child has the right to try that food, or not.

3. At the end of the meal, your child (or wife/husband for that matter) gets to RATE that food.

-- The choices for rating are:

(1) Thumbs Up

OR

(2) Neutral

4. That food shall grace your child's plate at least 10 times before a THUMBS DOWN can be given.

5. At that point (after 10 times) your child has the right to not want that food placed on their plate (for a few months anyway).

How does this work?

Kids are curious. By placing new foods on their plates multiple times, even the pickiest eater will eventually want to try it. AND, guess what?? They might LIKE IT.

What if they don't?

Oh well... try that food again in a few months because tastes change.

What if they still don't?

They have the right to not like some foods. I don't like green beans. They squeak on your teeth. I'm still alive and healthy.

PS: The kids in the picture are my niece and nephew, Drake and Keiley, who love vegetables and Aunty Lins's cooking-- right guys? They're super cute, huh?