Eating well gives your child the energy he needs to learn and grow. It will help him to stay healthy, maintain a healthy weight and establish lifelong eating habits. Here are some ways to make nutritious food the most attractive choice:
Get your school-child involved
A great way to get your child excited about eating a range of healthy foods is to involve him in the family’s meal-planning decisions. Let him help you make out the menus and a grocery list. Get him to see if you are out of yoghurts for lunch or get him to decide would he like grapes or strawberries.
When you take him food shopping, ask him to check off items off the grocery list as you shop.
Get your child familiar with the nutritional information on labels and ask him to read out what certain foods contain.
Try to get into a habit of selecting one new vegetable or one fruit to try each week. Although, do keep in mind that your child may not be interested in trying something unfamiliar until it has been offered several times.
Encourage your child to take responsibility for his own nutrition by getting him to create his own daily food chart, with boxes for each category: fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein. Check together at the end of the day to see did he get enough of every category.
Get your child involved in the kitchen. Having him help prepare and cook food will help get him interested in food. Why not get him to read out the instructions of a simple recipe?
