Getting your kids to eat healthy

You have learned the importance of a good diet. You've taken to heart the advice of Julia Wieland-Smith of Sisters Acupuncture: "Just focus on whole foods," because you know that "processed foods are going to take a toll on your body."

You want your kids to grow up with good eating habits; you want them to dodge the epidemic of childhood obesity and early-onset diabetes.

But you have also learned that forcing your kids to "clean up their plate" and making mealtime a battle is the wrong approach - and all your kids want to eat is french fries with ketchup and a soda.

What's a parent to do?

Jess Draper, of The Nugget, is the mother of a one-year-old and a three-year-old. She became an advocate of healthy diet for children due to her son Dugan's allergy to dairy. Her research led her to understand that much of what we feed our children is not good for them - but she had to learn some techniques to make healthy eating a way of life.

Choice is critical - including the absence of choice. If you don't have junky snacks around, your kids can't eat them. In order to empower them and give them control of their diet, you give them choices among a range of healthy options. That's what Jess does with her strong-willed daughter, Daisy.

"I give her choices: do you want an apple or a banana?" Draper says. "There has to be treats in it, too. You can't be forcing them to eat salad."

That means treats made from scratch with acceptable ingredients. (See accompanying recipes.)

It's important to start early. Draper started just in time. Studies show that children's food preferences take a strong set in their toddler years and it's hard to graft on a love for fruits and vegetables if it's not there early on.

Studies indicate that persistence pays off. If your young child doesn't want to try new food, keep presenting it and chances are it will ultimately win acceptance. Offering a variety of choices increases the likelihood that your child will accept at least one or two items.

Kids sniff out hypocrisy like little bloodhounds, so you can't take a "do as I say and not as I do" approach.

"You have to model the behavior," Draper says.

All of this means a little more investment in time and effort than we're used to in a go-go-go, convenience-oriented society.

If you're going to prepare meals and snacks from scratch from good ingredients, you're going to have to put a little more focus on shopping and meal preparation than you might right now.

"Does it take longer than a bowl of cereal? Yeah," Draper says. "Does it take as much time as steak and eggs and all that? No."

Ideally, you can create a weekly meal plan. That'll help you stick to buying good stuff when you shop and it will help you avoid getting caught in a rush when it comes time to prepare a child's meal.

"You have to plan ahead," Draper says. "It's not so much about time."

Draper says she already sees real benefits for her children.

"My kids are a healthier weight than I was as a child (and I ate lousy)," she says. "They're not sick as long. They get over it quickly."

And the kids don't demand french fries and ketchup.

"The more we do this, the more they make healthy choices," Draper says.

And the more her family explores the benefits of good food, the farther away the standard American diet seems.

"The more you know about what you were eating before... you wouldn't want to eat it," Draper says.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941