I get asked regularly about how I get our kids to eat & like healthy foods.
First, even though they DO eat & like mostly healthy foods, their personalities & preferences are very different Mac has always eaten anything put in front of her, & Ky is VERY sensitive with textures. (She refused ALL baby foods, & would ONLY nurse until about 14 months 😳). To this day she refuses anything”mushy”
By no means do I think what works for one works for all. That said, I firmly believe it starts with us & what we model to them.
You’re not going to hear me say we never have treats in our house, or to ONLY provide healthy food options. Because while we do strive to provide mostly healthy foods for our kids, I ALSO want to promote them having a healthy RELATIONSHIP with food! (Something that it took me almost 30 years of my own life to achieve)
Luckily just before I got pregnant with Mac I had a MINDSET shift that forever changed my relationship with food.
- I stopped labeling food as “good” or “bad”
- I stopped eliminating entire food groups
- I started being mindful about the way certain foods made me feel. (Tired, sluggish, bloated? or energetic & vibrant?)
- I started viewing food as nourishment.
Sometimes nourishment from a delicious healthy meal, & other times I’m nourished by sharing a dessert or decadent meal with someone I love, GUILT FREE
I learned to listen to my body & found the healthier I ate the less I wanted the foods I once craved, because they didn’t make me FEEL good. (except tacos 🌮 I’ll always want tacos, I’ve just learned to health-ify them some 😉)
I also established a few “guidelines” WITHOUT restriction, that worked for me, that I have passed on to my family, & to those I coach in my communities.
Here are a few that we use ….
- OOSOOM (out of site out of mind) mentality. We don’t keep much processed food in the house. When we do have treats around it’s not a surplus.
- I keep LOTS of easily accessible healthy snacks prepped & at their eye level in both the fridge & pantry. Our go-to faves include….
PANTRY: organic apple sauce pouches, Rice Cakes, Crackers, Mini Vegan Muffins
FRIDGE: Sliced; bell peppers, celery, carrots🥕, snap peas, goat cheese sticks, Cucumber 🥒 slices, Apples, Nectarines, watermelon 🍉, grapes, Berries, Mango, Bananas (whatever looks fresh & is in season)
- I have “health-ified” treats that I make & freeze: my popsicles or nice-cream made from frozen bananas, or mini just banana pancakes, & apple sauce muffins. But even when I go all out & make chunky chocolate chip cookies 🍪 or cupcakes, because they aren’t used to lots of sugar & I don’t set limitations on them they usually end up taking a couple bites & then are over it.
- I ask them for input on what they want for dinner & I involve them prep & cooking (Ky even has a tower in the kitchen to help mama cook) • We personally don’t do any juices or sugary drinks, & neither have ever drank cows milk.
- Fast Food is NOT an option, UNLESS it’s Chick-a-filet. (We’ll never turn down Chick-a-Filet 😉)
Again this is just what works for us thus far. And it’s not ALL or nothing, Start by focusing on ONE area.
I believe the most important thing we can do is model to them & foster an appreciation for our own bodies & how we fuel them & cultivate that same appreciation as a family. If you want more info on the program I use with our family & would like help getting started check out my
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