How to Get Your Child to Eat Almost Anything

I know what you’re thinking–after reading that headline, you might be laughing hysterically. Everyone believes they have the child that will never, under any set of circumstances, eat certain foods.

As a parent that loves your child, you want him to eat foods that lead to health and well-being. You understand that most of the foods and beverages your child’s senses are assaulted with everyday lead to poor health. Simply going to and from school, your children see marketing messages for unhealthy fast food, fried food and restaurant food everywhere.

How can you get your kids to eat Brussels sprouts, peas and broccoli when Burger King and Ronald McDonald make eating health-robbing fast food look like so much fun?

You also must battle the addictive, taste bud-pleasing chemicals that are intentionally placed in the processed foods your children eat. If you didn’t start your children out eating healthy foods at a very young age, it may feel like you can never win the battle of wills that takes place at mealtime between you and your kids. Never fear! The following tips and healthy eating best practices are sneaky (and proven) ways to get just about any child to eat just about anything!

Juice It

Delicious and nutritious fruits can mask unwelcome flavors and textures. Add a few of your child’s most despised vegetables to her favorite fruits and make a scrumptious juice. Try to use organic produce if possible.

Making fresh and nutritious juices floods your child’s body with the nutrients and minerals it craves. Your child can probably not eat an apple, 5 or 6 stems of kale, 5 stalks of celery, a navel orange, an entire cucumber and a thumb sized piece of ginger in one sitting.

By juicing these miracle health-boosters, you get an amazing amount of nutritional goodness into your child in the form of one glass of juice. Add a healthy sweetener such as organic Stevia or raw honey to the juice for a sweet flavor boost if needed.

Take Baby Steps

Think one pea at a time. Prove to your child that the world will not end if he eats a tiny piece of broccoli. Show your kids that eating one/half of a Brussel sprout will make you immensely happy, and it won’t kill them.

Use Older Role Models in the Home

Kids look up to others and admire role models that are older than them. Is there an older brother or sister that your young one looks up to? Get the older sibling to lead by example. What abilities or characteristics in your older kids do your younger ones look up to? Explain how eating healthy foods your kid dislikes can make him just as good at those things he admires in his role model.

Lead by Example—Yourself!

This should be a no-brainer. You may diligently watch what you eat when you have meals with your children. Don’t forget–kids see everything! If you’re popping unhealthy snacks and drinks into your mouth throughout the day, you better believe your child is going to notice.

Children expect guidance from their parents, so if you are eating and drinking garbage, that is exactly what your kids are going to ask for.

Start as Young as You Can

It is never too early to get your kids to eat right. When you instill healthy eating habits in your children at a very young age, you program their taste buds in a good way. Children that are exposed to healthy foods before they can walk are much more likely to prefer those nutritious foods over unhealthy alternatives when they get older.

Consistently Try New Foods

Just because your kid won’t eat one vegetable doesn’t mean another is off-limits. How do you know what your child is going to eat if you don’t try everything? The key to excellent human health is a diverse diet. This means constantly introducing new food to your children so you can find plenty of healthy foods they love.

World-renowned pediatrician Dr. Sears has said that it takes a child 15 times of trying a new fruit or vegetable before he will embrace it. This means don’t give up!

Do you have some helpful tactics to get your kids to eat what you want to feed them? I’d love for you to share so I can add them to my toolbox!

Just as there are healthy foods we want our children to eat, there are also culprit foods out there we need to avoid. Download my FREE guide here on 15 Foods to Never Feed Your Kids Again for more tips!

Wishing you well,

Dr. Jessica