Top tips to encourage healthy eating!

From all of the parenting questions I answer each week, fussy eating has to be right up there with the non-sleeping littlies!

A healthy, balanced diet is essential for littlies as we all well know, but how do we encourage veggie loving, healthy munching tots? Here I share with you my top tips to encourage healthy eating!

Set a good example!

Of course we all have dinner TV moments and junk food treats, but unfortunately if you make this a regularity they will soon learn to do the same!

Eat together!

As hard as it may be sometimes eith different different routines and family commitments- try and eat together as a family as often as you can. Often sitting together and chatting over dinner distracts from the food battle! Talk about the dinner ‘how delicious your carrots taste-do theirs too?’ (sounds silly but encouraging a love of tastes and describing food is really good!)

Make mealtimes fun!

Let littlies help set the table, turn off the TV and chat about your day. Get your littlies funky plates and cutlery to make eating more fun.

Don’t nag, nag, nag!

Encourage trying new things or to have ‘one more mouthful’ but don’t make mealtimes a battle- children won’t starve themselves! Honestly! It’s better to have them try something new little and often than give in to only yoghurt and toast demands forever.

Reward!

Reward trying new things like curry or veggies by offering a fabulous desert! Homemade ice cream, lollies or favourite treats don’t do any harm when goodness has gone in first! Even if this means only one mouthful has been tried- reward! It’s a start!

Make food fun!

Littlies like smiley faces on their cottage pie, sausage spiked hedgehogs and funny food- so encourage a love for veggies and healthy eating by getting creative in the kitchen!

Experiment with new recipes together as a family and make meals as colourful and as rich in variety as possible. Try and avoid processed food or microwave meals. Encouraging home cooking gives littlies a good start in healthy eating!

Five a day needn’t be a battle!

Hiding veggies is a particular favourite way of mine to get the five a day portions into littlies. Grate carrot into spag Bol so it’s unnoticed, hide with cheese, mash two veggies with potato to create a colourful, fun mash. Make fruit and veggie smoothies (carrot and apple is a big favourite in our house!)

If you include two portions of vegetables in their main meals, and provide fruit with breakfast, or a fruit-based pudding for pudding you’re ensuring easily their getting their essentials for the day.

Protein please!

Try and include a portion of meat or fish (or protein if you and your littlies are veggies) at least once a day. This ensures littlies fill fuller for longer too!

Encourage food love!

Play food games, (counting apples,pears, sorting into colour groups) read food books or look through kids cooking books for inspiration together), watch littlies cooking shows (we love ‘Annabels Kitchen’ and ‘I can cook!’) And encourage cooking activities in the kitchen with littlies as often as you can!

For fun food ideas why not check out our Yums for Tums section here. You can also follow our weekly #TopToddlerTeas for fun and fabulous meal ideas!