We hear this question almost every day: what should I do if my child refuses to eat healthy foods?
Some children refuse to eat certain food groups, some refuse to eat anything at all and some eat everything in sight and come close to scraping the pattern off the plate.
We have seen children that somehow survive on rice alone for years and some on crackers and nothing else. Then there are those parents who are blessed with happy eaters who will always finish their food and be willing to try new foods without any fussing. We know that food is the fuel that keeps our little ones moving and helps them grow big and strong.
The problem parents face today, is not only dealing with mealtime battles but also establishing healthy eating habits and good nutrition. You may wonder why it is important at such a young age to establish healthy eating habits when the child has his whole life ahead of him to establish a healthy diet. The earlier, the better. Scientific research has shown that the sooner you introduce your toddler to a balanced healthy diet, the more success you will have at establishing lifelong patterns of healthy eating.
On the flip side, we are constantly reminded that childhood obesity is on the rise. Obese children usually turn into obese adults and they are more likely to develop lifestyle illnesses as adults. We need to instil good habits in our children by setting a good example of healthy eating.
There is no use in telling our children the importance of healthy eating and then at snack time, the teacher sits at her table eating a fat cream doughnut while the kids snack on cucumber sticks. The same applies at home as well. Children learn what they live and then they live what they learn. From a young age, we should offer our toddlers a balanced diet. This includes all the food groups and it means not eating too much of one particular food group.
It also means not eliminating any major food group. The child who just eats rice and no protein or veg will eventually be deficient in something as they are not taking in all the nutrients they need for overall health. Finding the balance can be very frustrating for parents. When you offer foods that keep being refused, it is easy to just offer hot chips with tomato sauce and think… “Well, at least he is eating something.”
Don’t give up, persevere and continue to invent new balanced recipes. Generally toddlers and pre-schoolers like flavour. There is a belief out there that children like bland food. We have found that the most popular meals at school are the ones with a depth of flavour, using herbs, garlic and spices to make meals interesting. There are ‘baby weaning’ cookbooks out there that suggest that babies starting to eat solids, can be offered mild curries and other flavourful recipes. Keeping it interesting can be beneficial.
When looking at a balanced diet it’s important to:
- Provide the child with plenty of complex carbohydrates, e.g., wholegrain pasta’s, cereals and bread, and fibre-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, and legumes.
- Provide a moderate amount of lean meat, fish, nuts or nut products like nut butters and dairy. (Provided the child can tolerate dairy. Some children who suffer from sinuses, asthma or eczema benefit greatly from a dairy-free diet)
The following is important to keep in mind when looking at a balanced diet:
- Children need full cream yoghurt, cheese and milk. The low-fat variety is usually much higher in sugar which is very inflammatory and feeds viruses. A good idea is to mash up some fresh fruit like strawberries, banana or blueberries and stir it through full cream Greek yoghurt. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and it can be enjoyed as a healthy low sugar fruit yoghurt at school the next day.
- Allow very small amounts of fried foods, sugar, sweet drinks; even juice, cakes, honey etc… This should be an occasional treat, not an everyday addition.
Healthy Choices:
Knowing what makes up a healthy diet is the first step in deciding what your child should eat. The next step is harder i.e. putting this knowledge into practice.
Shopping should not find you reading all the labels and spending hours doing the grocery run every week.
The principle of eating fresh whole foods is a good start. Try and eliminate anything processed as these foods are high in bad fats, sugar and salt.
Don’t be fooled by the excellent marketing of certain foods i.e. Veggie puffs and veggie biscuits. These are still processed and should form part of an occasional treat. Fresh veg, fruit and full cream yoghurts are what should be offered daily.
Since we promote a high fibre diet, plenty of water should be offered to prevent constipation.
The real truth is to give your child whole foods that have not been fiddled with too much. The fiddling causes the food to be over-processed and this is where we find many nasties hiding. An example of this is a sugar-coated cereal that claims to be fortified with minerals and vitamins. Steer away from these as it is just an overload of bad fats and sugar.
Staying healthy is not that hard. Marketers have just made unhealthy foods look so attractive. It is our jobs to take healthy foods and make them look attractive to the child.
Toddlerdom is the time to get your child hooked on a healthy diet. He is still too young to follow the flock who gravitate to the drive-through lane. As adults, we have this small window to influence their food choices for life. Often a toddler who has not been exposed to fast foods and a high sugar diet will prefer fresh healthier foods and refuse the bad stuff because their palettes have been developed for fresh clean eating.
It does take more effort as the bad stuff is so convenient in our fast-paced lives, however, just this little extra effort can serve your child’s health, well into their adult years and you can leave them with a legacy of health is wealth.