One of the shared challenges among parents since time immemorial is getting the kids to eat — and actually enjoy — healthy food. This is particularly difficult for moms with picky eaters who usually resist when presented with vegetables and fruits.
But while the push and pull of feeding can be really frustrating, moms know that it’s important to go through all of the effort just so the children can get proper nutrition. After all, eating healthy meals is one of the ways we can help them avoid risky health conditions and eventually set them up for a bright future.
This is why we went ahead and asked the members of our Facebook community Smart Parenting Village to share their tips on how to get the kids to eat healthy food! If it still feels like you’re forcing your children to finish their greens, you might want to try these tips:
Let kids get used to the natural taste of veggies
After the kids’ first six months, parents can get a little too excited about introducing solid food. However, it might help to stick to serving them raw or unseasoned vegetables before overwhelming them with a variety of dishes.
“We followed Tamang Kain kaya nag-start kami sa puro bland veggies before we started offering mga sweet fruits,” says mommy Valerie Calimbas. “[My child is] turning 2 and we never had a problem feeding him vegetables or fruits. He’s also never picky.”
The same is the case for mommy Marie Ramos-Apolonio, who shares, “I trained [my son] to eat food without salt and sugar [for him] to fully enjoy the real taste of food until [he turned] 14 months old.”
Eventually, she began introducing other ingredients. “Now that he is older, I started to incorporate a little [amount of] salt in his meals to improve his palate, but still he has never become picky.”
Involve them in meal preparation
Ever thought of turning meal preparation into an activity for the kids? Mommy Megan Saliendra-Mateo did, and she says it helped the kids learn to enjoy healthy dishes on their own.
She explains, “I always involve them when I’m prepping up our meal. I even let them do the cooking para alam nila kung ano yung nilalagay ko sa kakainin namin. So far, effective naman for me.”
Give them options
Despite all your efforts, there will be days when making them eat certain things is just impossible. When this happens, it’s best not to force them to clear their plate as this might create negative associations with certain food items.
Mom Niña Tenefrancia connects it to the “sawa” factor and deals with it by giving her children free choice. Of course, it’s necessary to make the other options healthy, too! “Minsan kung sawa na siya, pinapa-pick ko na lang [siya among] squash, sayote, and other leafy vegetables.”
For when the kids are tired of certain dishes, you can always vary the ingredients and recipes to offer different food experiences. Ginataang sitaw at kalabasa could be ginataang gabi, for example, in the same way that you can always trade pork for fish in your sinigang. Tip: Check out this site for nutri-sarap ulam ideas.
Eat what they eat
Reinforcement by action is key! More than just telling them to eat this or that, show them that you’re enjoying the food yourself.
Mom Chloe Eunice shares this adorable story of how everyone in the family compromises for each other’s benefit: “Both [my husband] and I are not really veggie lovers, but we eat them now just to show our toddler na we really need to eat them and [that] veggies are not different from other food. Win-win din! We get to feed our daughter healthy food, [and] her father and I get to eat them too even if we are really [just] forced to do so.”
Likewise, mommy Mary Zayra Elec-Beltran reminds her fellow parents: “Most importantly, sabay-sabay kayo kumain!”
Be patient and creative
Aside from patience, it turns out that you also have to bring out your creativity when it comes to instilling healthy eating habits in the kids! You can do this by coming up with delectable recipes that feature vegetables or other food items that they resist.
Mommy Rich Chel Larom adds, “Tiyaga sa pagpapakain [din ang kailangan]. [Also], always explain ang kahalagahan ng pagkain ng healthy food.”
Of course, when making meals at home, you need to use ingredients that will help with your goal of serving healthy and delicious dishes. This is why it pays to use Knorr Nutri-Sarap products when cooking your favorite nutri-sarap ulam. In line with Knorr’s goal of making delicious and nutritious food available for all families, Knorr Nutri-Sarap products are now sources of essential vitamins and minerals.
The Knorr Sinigang sa Sampalok Mix Original, for example, has vitamin C, while the staple Knorr Chicken and Pork Broth Cubes have iron. If you’re looking to give your veggie dishes a nutritious twist, you can also use the Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix to help add calcium to your kids’ diet.
For years, the brand has stood by its commitment to help educate Filipino families on the importance of proper nutrition. Through the Knorr Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program, the brand aims to aid in the fight against malnutrition.
Keeping the kids healthy through nutritious and delicious meals really takes effort and hard work, but everything’s worth it for the little ones!
Shop Knorr Nutri-Sarap recipes online via GoRobinsons or Waltermart. For more information, visit Knorr Philippines’ website and follow its Facebook page.
