Kids’ Nutrition: Healthy Shouldn’t Be A Bad Word!

I’ve been a Mom for almost 10 years now… which seems like forever and just days all at the same time! I get asked all the time what I do with my kiddos at home to keep them balanced and healthy. When I had kids, I wasn’t new to living a healthy lifestyle, it has always been important to me. But I was certainly out of my element teaching kids about health (or anything for that matter!)

I believe, in general, that healthy eating has become way too complicated!! If it’s too difficult there is no way parents who are already juggling a ton of different things can be successful. After some trial and error over the years, what we’ve ended up with at our house is a fairly simple approach that works well for us and is actually sustainable. A simple approach with five tips to help you embrace healthy with your family…

Tip #1… Healthy isn’t a bad word and healthy doesn’t hide!

At our house, healthy = good. I’ve heard so many kids say “ewwwww” when they hear that a food is healthy. Our kids are exposed to input from many sources these days, friends, media, school etc. But, as parents we truly have the most control over their perception of “healthy”. If we teach our kids that healthy is good, something to strive for, they’ll want to be healthy too. Positive comments, emphasis, encouragement about the word “healthy” in all aspects of life but particularly relating to food is so important!!

One of the major things I whole heartedly adhere to is not hiding healthy ingredients or sneaking them in to foods. If they ask ‘hey, what’s that?’ while you’re adding spinach to their smoothie… Tell them! ‘It’s spinach- it has tons of vitamins and minerals that are super good for you, plus it makes your smoothie an awesome green color!’ Add coconut oil under the peanut butter on their toast? Tell them… ‘It’s a really healthy fat that will help sustain your energy.’ Add ground flax seeds to their pancakes or muffins? Tell them… ‘Flax seeds are full of fiber and a kind of fatty acid that your body can’t make so you need to get it from food.’ If they know something is healthy, eat it, and like it they will keep wanting it! I’m all for adding as many healthy ingredients to foods as possible, but don’t go around being sneaky about it!

Kids love information, they like to understand WHY… that’s why they ask soooooo many questions all day loooong. Food is a great place to give them all the info they can understand and then some to grow into! Learning to eat well by choosing healthy foods a lot more often than unhealthy foods is a hugely important life skill. It’s truly one of the best things we can teach our kids that will have a life long positive impact on them!

Stay tuned for more tips on a healthy and sustainable approach to kids’ nutrition!