Foodie Friday- Children who FIGHT over kale

How to Raise Healthy Eaters or How to get Children to Fight Over Kale.

Many people believe it is impossible to get children to happily eat the food that is best suited for their growth and development. In my experience, it’s not hard for children to learn to delight in a plant-based whole food diet. Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables can all be enjoyed by children with a little forethought. I would like to share five tips that I believe made all the difference in teaching my own children that eating from the garden is the best way to nourish ourselves. The best time to start is in utero. Did you know that a baby’s taste buds start to get accustomed to the different foods in the mother’s diet as it swallows and tastes the amniotic fluid? When a baby is born, it continues to learn about its future diet by sampling different tastes from the mother’s breast milk. This contributes to forming his taste preferences later in life. So from conception, the most powerful way to teach our children healthy eating habits is by modeling! The old adage stands, they will do as we do and not as we say. My only credentials are my own children’s eating habits, and though they all have varying degrees of the sweet tooth syndrome, they love sautéed kale so much that I have to remind them to leave some for the other members of the family! Now to my tips to practically inspire children to love a healthy diet. 1- Get children used to good old water Upon rising, the first thing that should pass our lips is pure water! This goes for children as well. A morning drink hydrates us after our night of fasting and prepares the body for breakfast. A good starting point is that we need to drink half our body weight in pounds in ounces of water each day. Try to get your child to drink 20 to 25% of that amount first thing in the morning. So if your child weighs 60 lbs, he would need to drink approximately 30 ounces of water in a day. A cup of water in the morning would therefore be a reasonable drink. I’ve imagined all sorts of games, challenges and races to make it fun for them. Then as they grow up, they internalize this healthy habit. When children are used to drinking water, fresh juices made with vegetables, greens and apples will seem like a delicious treat! Don’t ruin their taste buds by getting them accustomed to the concentrated sweetness of sugary drinks and juices. 2- Make it fun and varied As you think of the best way to nourish your family, it’s important to maintain simplicity, yet without becoming boring. Variety is the spice of life, and for any diet to be fulfilling, it should not only be flavorful, but also diverse. Introduce your children early to the wide range of flavors in all the foods God has caused to grow for our benefit. In the

beginning, He placed mankind in a garden, and one look at a seed catalog will convince you that God meant for our diet to be varied. Especially when dealing with children, it is in order to have under your belt several recipes to replace beloved desserts and favorite treats! Involve your children in cooking and baking and you will be pleased to see how excited they are to eat the foods they have helped to prepare. Children take pleasure in trying new things, so instead of spending several dollars on unhealthy packaged foods, let them choose a new, rarer fruit from the produce section and see their excitement over trying it. Let them delight and learn to appreciate natural sweets such as dates, dried fruits, homemade cookies, etc. Look for healthy recipes and find your family’s favorites.

3- Absolutely no snacking! This one goes against the current trend of the day, but think back a generation or two and common sense at the time dictated that eating between meals would ruin your appetite. This is a case of looking for the old paths, where is the good way! Snacking between meals can not only ruin your appetite for the next meal, but it also contributes to tooth decay. At least five hours should elapse between the end of one meal and the start of another. Not one bite should be allowed. I have found that when my children start the day with a hearty breakfast of lentils and avocado toast, they don’t even think of food until lunch time! Then when mealtime comes, they will relish what is set before them. Remember that hunger is the best sauce!

4- Give options whenever possible Children, similarly to grownups, want to feel like they have a say in their lives. It is important to give them options when it comes to what goes in their mouths, although at times they may not like any of them! Remember that they always have the option not to eat, although I usually make sure there is a healthy treat waiting for them at the end of a good meal in order to encourage them to eat what’s before them. Don’t be afraid that your children will go hungry, they will not starve themselves. Obviously, I am not making allusion to older children who have developed eating disorders. 5- Lead by example When seeking to raise children who will choose to adopt a healthy diet, I think the most important element is to lead by example. As children see you make healthy choices for yourself and prioritize your own health, they will be inspired to do the same. Children will rise to the standards that you uphold in love and consistent practice. Also, remember that you cannot hold your children to a standard that you’re not willing to hold yourself to. When denying your children of anything it is in their best interest not to have, make sure they know you are also in solidarity denying yourself of that same thing. If you make a change of any kind in yourself first, the ones who watch and learn of you will likely rise up to the same standard. Our role as parents is so powerful, for the influence we wield on our children while we have them under our care will stay with them for the rest of their lives. So hold up the standards of a right diet with consistency, compassion and love, and your children looking back will one day thank you for it!

- Sacha LeClaire