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How to Raise Children Who Love to Eat

24 September 2024

We are willing to do a great deal so that our children eat a variety of healthy food. However, it is not always easy.

Here is how we can raise children who love eating healthy food

  • Make sure to repeatedly introduce a wide variety of healthy foods: your children should be exposed to healthy food from the start, even if they do not eat it or express willingness to consume them. Simply make sure that the nutritious food is on the table: vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and more.
  • Enjoy the meal in a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere: children need a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere during mealtime and the ability to eat without pressure or expectations. When a calm atmosphere surrounds the table, children understand that mealtime is an enjoyable time the whole family spends together. Try to avoid encouraging them to eat, do not offer prizes and do not beg.
  • Allow them independence and control: children of any age need to feel that they are in control of their food, that they can make decisions on what and how much to eat without any intervention or comments. Allow them to be independent during mealtime, even if you do not agree with their choices.

The acquisition of good eating habits is a long process – there are ups and downs, and we do not always immediately see the fruits of our investment. The investment itself, however, definitely pays off.

Imagine your child happily sitting at the dining table and enjoying a salad, avocado, white beans and whole wheat bread. Incredible, right?

Our wish that our children eat healthy, nutritious food relates to the deepest and most sensitive places of parents. We are willing to do a lot for this to happen but are not always confident about what we need to do. What are the genuinely important principles? How will we know that our efforts are going in the right direction?

To raise children who like eating healthy, nutritious food, three major principles must be emphasized:
  • Make sure to repeatedly introduce a wide variety of healthy food
  • Eat in a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere
  • Give children independence and control

Sounds simple right? In reality, though, this is not exactly the case. So what should we do?

  • 1
    Consistent and proper exposure

    It is useful and important for children to be exposed to healthy food from the start, even if they do not yet eat it or express any interest in it. Make sure that there are nutritious foods on the table during the meal: vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish and more. When they see the food on the table, smell it, and see you eating, they will get used to this being what they eat at home.

    Even if you have not offered a range of healthy food until now – there is no reason to be stressed. It is never too late. Try to add healthy food to the meal today - maybe baked cauliflower, lentil soup, or green salad. Any addition you choose will be welcome.

  • 2
    Pleasant conversation around the table

    Children tend to link the atmosphere at mealtime to eating itself. For this reason, it is important to have pleasant and relaxed conversations around the table at mealtime. Avoid encouraging children to eat: do not offer prizes, do not insist and do not beg (”Please, just one spoon and that’s it”). Place the food at the center of the table and let them decide what and how much they want on their plate.

    This is why family meals are so important – they are an excellent opportunity to introduce children to various foods, without pressure to eat or not eat them. When food is served without expectations and pressure, a pleasant atmosphere is maintained around the table. Children learn that mealtime is a pleasant time the entire family spends and enjoys together.

    “Family meals in the middle of the week” sounds impossible to you? It is all right if only the siblings sit together, or only one parent and a child – these are considered family meals as well. Anytime a child does not eat alone, and food is on the table that is not just for him or her is excellent. Even if you manage to do this only once a week, it is far better than nothing.

  • 3
    Sense of independence and control

    Remember that children of any age need to feel as if they are in control over their food. That they can decide what and how much to eat without any intervention. Try to keep the atmosphere pleasant and allow them to feel good even if you do not agree with their choice, even if deep down you hoped that they would eat another patty or even if they did not touch the cucumber at all.

    Do not let children feel like they disappoint you, even if their choice does not match your expectations. Disappointment only increases the stress they feel around meals and will cause them to link mealtime with negative emotions. Children who link food with a negative emotion may develop unhealthy eating habits.

Remember that the acquisition of good eating habits is a long process

There are ups and downs, and we do not always immediately see the fruits of our investment. With some children, it takes years until they enjoy eating a variety of healthy food. The investment itself, however, is definitely worth it.

Before you run to cook and serve various healthy foods, here are some phrases that you probably know and several sentences that you can replace them with:

Instead of saying Say this
But you didn't eat anything! Are you sure you are full?
Eat a patty! You need protein. You can choose what you want from everything there is on the table.
Try it, it’s delicious. Look, mommy is eating it. Yummy. In this case, you should not say anything. Just let them see you eating.
If you finish your plate, you will get dessert. Have you finished eating? Are you full? All right. Dessert will be served in a few minutes. In the meantime, tell me, how was school today?

Do you need close instruction and guidance? Consult a dietician at the Family Care Center.

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