1) Start by changing out their favorite snack food item for an organic, healthy alternative. For example, trade their goldfish crackers for organic cracked oat Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. Annie’s has a great line of organic kid’s foods including Mac & Cheese, graham crackers, and cheddar bunnies. Most local grocery stores will have this brand, but if not Whole Foods certainly will.
2) Buy all organic veggies and fruits, and make sure to wash them with a produce wash like Fit. As a family throw out all junk food, soda, chips, sugary yogurts & fruit snacks, candy, fruit juices, and so on. Replace these with organic alternatives, fresh fruits and veggies, Greek yogurt, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.
Fruit juice is loaded with sugar. When you squeeze the juice from the fruit the nutrients that allow your body to break down the fructose into a sustainable, long lasting energy are lost. All that is left is sugar, which will only give a brief burst of energy and then a hard crash. For this reason fruit juice is almost as bad for you as soda.
3) A good rule of thumb is to only eat foods that grow in the earth or have lived on the earth. Of course you will not always be a paragon of pureness, but do the best you can. By making these types of snacks the only available snacks to your kids they will have to try some of it and will be surprised that they find they actually like what you are feeding them.
4) Implement a “try it till you like it” policy. With this in place kids know that they at least have to try a bite of everything on their plate. If you do this repeatedly, soon your kids will start to eat more and more of the foods they deemed “yucky” and “disgusting” previously. It’s a great way to get your kids to branch out and introduce new foods to their young palates.
5) Don’t listen when they make faces and say it’s gross; stand strong and firm or they will realize they hold the power and can still dictate what they get to eat. If you have the try it until you like it policy, stand firm on the fact they must take at least one bite of everything. It does not make sense to stress yourself out as a parent by making special meals for each child. They eat what you eat and that’s the end of it. You are the parent and need to take charge of your child’s eating habits.
Remember that with a few small changes you can get your kids to eat healthier, be happier, and maximize their full potential.
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