"Good health is fostered by nutritious meals, regular
exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. Healthy habits help one live a robust
and vibrant life. When you complement these activities with prayer, you
too, will be uplifted to an experience of wholeness in mind, body, and
spirit."
Fruits and vegetables may not top the list for
kids' favorite foods, but good reasons exist to include more of these
foods in your child's diet. Fruits and vegetables are packed with
vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber. The health benefits
of these super foods can affect your child's health now and into
adulthood.
The secret to getting kids to eat vegetables
The secret to getting kids to do anything is inspiration and excitement, rather than authority. Naturally, much higher success is achieved when a child is excited about doing something, than when they're threatened, cajoled or bribed. The tricky bit is finding a way of getting them genuinely excited about something they are currently resisting.
The first (and most important) step is to stop trying to persuade the
child to eat vegetables, and instead, enjoy the veggies yourself.
The most powerful influence over children is
what they observe in the significant adults in their lives. No amount of
persuasion can equal what they witness. And the best bit about this is, subconscious. The influence your actions, reactions, behavior and
general being have on your child is completely involuntary - which
means your child copies you unconsciously, and automatically. This gives
you immense power. All you have to do is make sure you're using this
power on purpose and not by default.
Example, Involve the child in buying and preparing the vegetables. Children have
an almost irresistible urge to use, eat or drink anything they have
enjoyed making themselves. It's hardwired into them. As long as the
process is fun and enjoyable and creative, they'll find it really
difficult not to eat the veggies they've prepared
and make this process fun and creative without taking up too
much time or making too much mess - for busy parents. Lastly, let them grow their own vegetables! This is a very powerful thing.
There's only one thing better than buying and preparing your own
vegetables, for children... and that's growing them, picking them and
then preparing them. No child can resist eating something they've grown! Remember- your child can grow
vegetables in pots, so even if you don't have a garden, your child can
still produce his own veg.
Extra Tip:
A
child doesn't need to eat every vegetable, as long as he/she gets a range
of fruit and veg. If he/she hates broccoli, that's okay - their body won't
suffer from not eating broccoli. Rather than try and force it, let them eat a different veg or fruit which contains similar nutrition.