Is Your Child Picky about Food? Here’s how You Can Convince Him / Her to Eat

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Is Your Child Picky about Food? Here’s how You Can Convince Him / Her to Eat

Healthy eating for children can be a challenge for some parents often faced with words like “I don’t like it”, “I don’t want it”. The fact that children say “no” to healthy food can happen in all ages. Generally, vegetables and some fruits are the ones that get a big “no” from children. There are some kids who simply set themselves for just one particular taste and don’t want to try anything else. Nutrients found in food are essential for the development of a child, so that we avoid health problems, such as obesity.

Here are some useful tips that can help you guide your child towards healthy eating and nutritional diversity.
Make sure he’s actually hungry
Fresh air and exercise can do wonders for the appetite of children. When they are hungry, children are not really that interested in selecting and rejecting the veggies in a soup. A good idea is to make sure that your child has a healthy appetite is to sign him up for some sort of regular activity.
Be a good example
Do not buy products you don’t allow your child to eat, but are good enough for you. If you want your child to start eating healthy, you should act as a role model. You, mom, will also need to lead a better, healthier lifestyle. As a rule of thumb, start out by trying homemade fresh juice and healthy snack alternatives. To get yourself into a good mood, start taking better care of yourself: invest in good food and nutritional products, develop a skincare routine, get a gym membership.
Make small portions
If your child is used to rejecting food and he’s not a very big eater, don’t put in front of him a huge plate. This will even cause grater horror. A small portion is more tempting and appetizing and suitable for his stomach.
Introduce new food through fun activities
It is very important that children get as much diversity in food as possible. But sometimes it is very hard to introduce them to something new. But if you add a little bit of fun to the plate, you have a better chance. Play a food game where your child is blindfolded and he has to guess what he’s eating. Another solution is to make fun figurines out of food and give the plate a presentation. You can even try themes: for example, for a week arrange all his food on the plate so that it resembles the ocean (birds, boats, fish). Another good advice is to allow your child to help around the kitchen so that he gets to know how his food is made.
Call a friend
Most of the times, children tend to repeat an activity that they see in others. Invite one of his friends over, let them play for a couple of hours and serve them lunch. They will “encourage” one another to eat or even have a “who finishes eating first” competition.
Don’t use blackmail
Parents usually resort to tricks in order to convince their kids to eat. “If you eat all your veggies, I’ll buy you the toy you’ve been wanting”. He will start to think that eating veggies is a drag, but that will get him the toy, when, in fact, he needs to learn why vegetables are important in a diet. Food should never be connected to emotions.
What other tips do you use to get your child to eat a healthy lunch?

Author Bio
Regina Thomason is a mother and a lifestyle consultant. Always in the search for the best cleansing products and caring a lot for the health of her family, she teaches women to take good care of themselves and their loved ones by practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors.