Ways to Get your Kids Eat Better

Start the day well- Eating breakfast not only improves performance at school, but helps to control weight as well- if they skip it kids are likely to snack on high calorie food. If time is a big problem for you then lay the table the night before and set the alarm earlier. Make all preparations beforehand like you can marinate small cubes of chicken in lemon juice and ginger garlic paste with salt and pepper and keep it in the chill tray over night. In the morning you just need to take it out and brush it with a dash of olive oil or butter and put it in the over for grilling. It hardly takes five minutes. Put it inside the sandwich or a wrap with lots of vegetables and a little mayonnaise in it. Children love variety, so you can bake healthy banana bread with wheat flour and lots of nuts in it or a carrot walnut cake the night before. All you need to do in the morning is warm it up and give a glass of yogurt drink or smoothies. You can serve pancakes also for breakfast and roll it up with a stuffing of sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey on top.

Pack healthy yet fun lunch boxes- Contents must be cool. Don’t pack bread or roti and sabzee every day. Instead try out muffins, wraps, pitas, pastas. Make feelings interesting like cheese and eggs or cheese and some spicy chicken or corn. Keep small Tiffin in which you can pack a small piece of cake or some dried figs or apricots.

Serve tempting after school snacks- Children are generally very hungry after school. So provide tubs of hummous and salsa or you can make a fun rainbow sandwich with a little grilled fish or some garlic bread or corn toast. Kids love cheese fingers as well. Try out some interesting cereals with grated chocolates and some fruits on top.

Work up an appetite- Make sure your kids are hungry when they come to the table-it makes them harder to say ‘no’. Encourage them to do some outdoor activities. If they are sitting in front of the computers or television set, then they will definitely not be hungry. Get the full family walking short distances and take up some kind of family sports. Tell your kid to walk the dog and for that give her some pocket money.

Cook with the kids- Most children love to cook, so suggest they pick up a recipe. You will need to be on hand to help, but let them get completely involved and discover the joys of cooking. Start with stir fries and salads, pasta and some caking of cakes. They will be quick and children will not get bored.

Set a good example- It is very important for parents to set a good example in front of kids. If you eat unhealthy your kids will also eat unhealthy. Try not to order food from outside. Introduce them to different cuisines and varieties of food. This is how a kid will get interested in eating good, tasty and healthy food. They will understand that home cooked food can be tasty and healthy.