Myra's Kitchen Blog » Feeding the Kids: Part 1

Now more than ever, it seems parents are at a loss as to what to feed the kids and how to get them to eat. Kids are no longer eating what their parents eat, restaurants serve the same limited children’s menus, and kids are asked on a daily basis to decide what they prefer to eat. Food allergies are rampant.

Here are a few pointers to stop the madness and to steer your kids to a lifetime of good habits:

If you have fed kids what you have eaten all along and you have a balanced diet, congratulations! Kids have eaten what their parent’s ate until relatively recently. If you have gone down the slippery pathway of feeding your kid a diet of convenience foods such as pasta, dried cereal, boxed mac ‘cheese, and frozen chicken tenders, you will need to make some changes. The good news is that change is possible.

A two- year who has been raised on junk food – when asked what he or she wants to eat – will inevitably choose refined carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta, dry cereal, and sugar. Kids are ill equipped to decide what they should be eating. Even if your child has multiple food allergies, or is merely a picky eater, it’s possible to make real changes and get him or her on track with good habits. The responsibility for setting them up for a lifetime of good or bad habits is yours. You decide what to put in front of them. Do you really want to be serving multiple meals?

First, clear your pantry of junk, and replace it with food that has some real nutritive value. Start with yourself; get back into the kitchen and make home-cooked meals. Get your kids used to watching you eat healthy foods. Nothing is more powerful than the example that you set. Get rid of all distractions at mealtime, including books, TV, video games, smart phones and toys. Make mealtime a relaxed family time.

Have designated meal and snack times, so that your children are not grazing all day long.

Time and again I have watched kids not want to eat anything at dinner, since they have been snacking on cereal and crackers throughout the day. They do best when there are regular meal times.

If you establish times for three designated meals and two snacks, your kids will be more likely to eat meals. Avoid letting them eat snacks too close to dinner.

Leave a Reply