With recent reports revealing that 1 in 5 children are overweight, child health and nutrition has never been more important to address. But as busy mums with fussy kids we know just how hard it is to get our little ones to eat something healthy (or anything that we cook at all!).
In fact, many parents struggle when it comes to encouraging their children to eat healthily. Some mums and dads may even find that the only way to get their child to eat anything is to constantly serve pizza or chicken nuggets.
And while there is nothing wrong with either of them as a treat it is important that you try to give them some of their five-a-day. If your little one is a tad on the fussy side, bear the following in the mind the next time you are cooking for them.
1. Don’t force it
Don’t make any special remarks on any of the food that you are serving them, especially if it’s new. Instead, simply show them how much you enjoy eating it – hopefully, they’ll just pop it in their mouth without questioning it.
2. Dump the treats
Make sure there are always plenty of yoghurts, fruit and other healthy snacks in the fridge and cupboards ready to eat. This way when your child does want a snack they’ll have no choice but to eat an apple or some strawberries – although they tend to only look for something when they know there are sweets floating around.
3. Although treats can be healthy
You might love having a snack with your tea in the afternoon, but they don’t have to be unhealthy. Instead of biscuits, try wholemeal scones or crackers and some low fat cheese.
4. Stay positive and persist
It can take up to 10 times before a child will adapt to a new food, so do try to persevere. The more frequently you give your child a particular food the more likely they are to eat it – just remember to compromise and negotiate.
5. Take little steps
Making sudden drastic changes aren’t going to last so take it one step at a time. Maybe instead of serving battered fish, try fillet of fish. Or instead of giving your child chips, serve them homemade potato wedges. By taking little steps you will gradually improve your children’s meals.
The team at Mindful Chef know how challenging dinner time can be for parents. With this in mind they teamed up with a specialist in child nutrition, Charlotte Stirling-Reed to design recipes that are a joy to make and excite the taste buds, whilst assuring parents that their children are eating good wholesome meals.
Delivered straight to your door, each recipe box contains organic, gluten-free, British grown ingredients and the recipes deliver maximum taste, variety and balance while remaining fun, enjoyable and appealing to little ones.
Available from November, they are priced at £18 for three meals for two children. For more information, click here.
