Does your child eat healthy? Here's how you can encourage him to do so.
Healthy food is not always the tastiest food. Children often gravitate towards junk food because it is so readily and instantly available, and tastes so good. So what can you do to inculcate healthy eating habits? Here are some tips.
Does your child grimace every time a plate of vegetables or salad is placed before him? Does your child snigger at the salad, bypassing it for deep fried chicken? Although we don't really think about it, presentation of food makes big difference in its enjoyment. Of course, it will not compensate for really bad food, but it does help make your child more eager to eat a vegetable that he normally doesn't, simply because he perceives it as being boring.
When serving food to our families, presentation is last on our mind. We simply want to get the dishes made and out on the table. However, if you have the time, do try and serve your food so it looks good - and different.
Vegetables
The same vegetables can be served in different forms. If you serve carrots with peas cooked in the same manner, you children will no doubt groan every time they see it on the table. Instead, try something new. You could add shredded carrots and peas to the rice for example, or you could simply cut the vegetables in new and interesting ways. Experiment with different ways of cutting vegetables. If possible, join a vegetable cutting course. You can be sure your child would love to gobble down the beetroot when it is shaped like a rose. However, if you just serve him plain slices, you may have to force them down his throat!
Plates
Rita's 6 year old son was an incredibly fussy eater, and would never finish off his meal. One day when Rita went shopping, her son suddenly saw a really interesting plate with little compartments. He started pestering Rita to buy it for him, and although Rita at first ignored him, she suddenly realized that maybe he would enjoy eating his meals if served in this plate! Needless to say, when dinner was served, he was really exited that he would be eating in his new plate, and licked it clean!
Sadly, this excitement doesn't last long, and you may need to keep thinking up creative ways to make your child eagerly gulp down his food.
Pastes
When preparing salad for your children, consider serving them portions in smaller quarter plates. Circle each quarter plate with little dabs of ketchup or chocolate syrup to make it look more appealing. Also, try different dressings on your salad, so your child doesn't get bored of the same food.
No matter how creative you get, there is no substitute for downright tasty food - but not everyone can cook very well - and fewer still have ready access to an excellent cook. So if you can get creative with how you serve your food, you can still manage to get your child excited about his meal.
