Getting a child to eat a nutritious meal can be extremely trying on a parent’s patience.  Either the chicken you spent 20 minutes preparing is left behind, or the mashed potatoes you so lovingly whipped have become an art project. 

Oh and there are the vegetables you spent forever chopping stay sitting on their dinner plate, growing cold.  Is this effort all for naught?

It is possible to get your children eating the right foods, but it will take some creativity and ingenuity on your part.  These are my favorite ways to get children eating healthier without any begging, pleading or bribing:

Multivitamins and Supplements
Getting a child to take a pill can be rather difficult (if not impossible), but many of the multivitamins and dietary supplements out there these days are things that children naturally gravitate towards.  Ice pops, “candy” gummies, and soda-like drinks – you name it, and there’s probably a children’s multivitamin form of it.  Your child will need little to no encouragement to try these supplements, even if you do tell them it’s nutritious.

Smoothies
Any weathered parent will tell you that smoothies are a sure-fire way to get your children eating right.  In any given smoothie, you can squeeze any where from 2 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in there with your child being none the wiser.

All you need to make a smoothie is a blender and a couple of ingredients!  Here are some quick and easy smoothie recipes to try with your kids:

For the yogurt lovers:  Grab a pint of yogurt, some ice cubes, a quarter of a pint of fruit juice and 7 ounces of each of the following fruits for a delicious yogurt smoothie:

• Banana and Mango
• Peach and Raspberry
• Blueberry and Strawberry
• Pomegranate and Pear

For milk-based smoothies, the same general rules apply:  Take half a pint of milk, a handful of ice cube, and then throw about 7 ounces of each of the following fruits into your blender for a delicious kid-friendly smoothie:

• Banana and Strawberry
• Peach and Apricot
• Blueberry and Raspberry
• Nectarine and Pear

For those who want to try adding some vegetable content to those fruit smoothies, start off slowly with these easily disguised vegetable smoothie recipes:

• Carrot juice, mangoes and apple
• Apple juice, cucumber and melon
• Apple juice, avocado and a spritz of lime

You can use the vegetable smoothie recipes for milk or yogurt based recipe.

Make Meals and Snacks Together
There’s no better way to get your child involved and taking responsibility for his or her own health than having them make the food that they eat!  Invest in a couple of good child cook books that focus on nutritious meals and snacks that kids love and work on those as a family.  One lunch I particularly like making with my kids are homemade pizza bagels.  All you need is:

• Whole wheat bagels (cut in half)
• Tomato sauce
• Mozzarella cheese (or another kind if you feel adventurous)
• Kid friendly and nutritious toppings (such as green peppers, onions, tomatoes, chicken, beef)
• Oregano, basil and pepper for seasoning

Preheat your oven to 325*F.  While waiting, take the bagel and spread tomato sauce on each half.  Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over each half, and then add your (or your child’s) favorite topping.  Place each bagel half on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes (take them out once the cheese is bubbling!).  Allow the bagels to cool for a minute and then enjoy!

Make Good Health Fun
The worst thing a parent can do is make “eating healthy” seem like “eating boring”.  By trying out different recipes with your kids and explaining the health benefits, discussing good fats versus bad fats, and getting them outside and playing around are all great ways of promoting good health as a parent.

Some Things to Consider with your Child and Their Diet
It is important for parents to acknowledge that a child’s diet may need to differ from their own.  For instance, a child under 2 should only drink whole milk.  Children under 5 should not drink skim milk.  The younger the child, the more healthy fats a child requires in his or her diet.

Younger children also require a whole lot less fiber than children over 6 years of age. 

The most important thing when it comes to your child’s diet is to focus on the four food groups: breads & cereals, fruits & veggies, milk & dairy, and meat, fish & alternatives.  When ever possible, avoid refined sugars (like cookies, cake and sweets) and processed foods (such as fast foods).

If you have any further questions or concerns about your child’s diet, be sure to speak to a dietician or your health care practitioner for more information.