How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthier + Easy Lunch Ideas
Happy Spring, everyone! I always love this time of year as the sun gets stronger, the ocean starts to warm up again, and our days get a little longer. I find that the change of seasons provides the perfect opportunity to switch things up in the kitchen and introduce some new healthy and delicious recipes to our weekly rotation. Picky eaters can make this a challenging task, though, and that got me thinking about two questions I get all of the time from parents: “How can I get my child to eat better?” and “What should I pack in my child’s lunchbox?” So, here are my top 3 tips for improving your children’s diets as well as ideas for healthy lunches to pack for school.
1. Include your children in the meal planning and cooking process. Get your kids’ input on what kind of healthy meals they’d like to eat and then include them in food shopping and meal prep. My boys love to pick out produce for recipes and then help us cook dinner using the ingredients they chose. We have found that they are more excited to eat a meal that they’ve helped prepared.
2. Offer healthy choices and let them serve themselves. This is a great strategy for eliminating stress at the dinner table. For example, I’ll set out chicken curry, steamed broccoli, brown rice and salad greens with a healthy dressing, and whatever my boys want to eat from those options is fine with me because they are all whole and healthy foods.
3. Explain why it’s important to eat healthy foods. This has been a powerful tool for us in getting our boys to eat well. They understand what protein, carbs and healthy fats do for their bodies and also know their favorite foods within each group. This helps to create more balanced meals with less strife. Providing the “why” to a child who tends to question everything can be transformative.
4. Be patient, and remember that you’re in charge. As the parent you are responsible for what foods end up in your house, so set the tone by getting rid of the junk and replacing it with healthy alternatives. Change can be hard and your children might protest at first, but they will respond positively to your resolve and eventually follow your example. It takes practice and consistency. The process might be a little bit painful, but I promise it gets easier!
5. Be compassionate. I know it might feel like your child is refusing to eat or being extra picky just to torture you, but there’s most likely a good explanation behind it. My youngest is a very picky eater and has true sensory issues around food, so when we realized that around age 2 it was a big aha moment for us. We respect his preferences and never force him to eat something he doesn’t want to. This might mean that he only eats 4 pieces of broccoli at dinner, but that’s okay with us. We don’t want to create conflict or a power struggle around food. Instead, we want our kids to feel like they can listen to their bodies and that they have control over their bodies- they might be little, but they are still individuals with personal preferences and opinions, just like the rest of us.
6. Let it go. I have found that the more we try to force something, the more pushback we get. One of our best strategies with our picky one is to shrug our shoulders and lovingly say, “Ok. We actually don’t really care if you eat or not,” and then the rest of us eat our dinner and usually the little one will end up eating almost everything on his plate. The psychology of this is amazing! We also let our kids know that it’s fine if they don’t eat their dinner, but they won’t get a bedtime snack (usually fruit) if they don’t do a good job on their meal.
7. It’s your job to provide the food, but it’s up to your kids whether they eat or not. This is a great piece of advice that we got from our pediatrician years ago. Kids go through phases, growth spurts and developmental milestones and their appetites are bound to change. Trust that they will eventually eat when they get hungry enough. Sometimes my kids will eat only fruit for days in a row and then something shifts and they go back to eating a more balanced diet. If you feel like your child is malnourished, however, then definitely seek out the opinion of a medical professional.
Ideas for Healthy Lunches
All three of these recipes are nutrient dense and full of high quality protein which will keep your child’s blood sugar balanced throughout the afternoon (and help to prevent after-school meltdowns!). Add in some cut veggies and fresh fruit and you’ve got a healthy and balanced lunch for your child.
Marinated Chickpeas
1 can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Zest of one lemon
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in the fridge. These beans make a great finger food for lunches and they are packed with protein and fiber.
Turkey Roll Ups
Sliced organic turkey
Your choice of fillings: Pesto, grated cheese and hummus work well.
Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of a turkey slice, and roll it up. Serve with whole grain crackers or turn this idea into a sandwich made with whole grain bread.
Salmon Salad
1 can wild salmon, juices intact
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
One stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
Handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
Flake salmon in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Check for seasonings and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to send this in a container with a tight seal so that the juices don’t leak out. Serve with your favorite whole grain crackers.
More protein ideas: Hard boiled eggs with pesto, cheddar cheese with apple or cucumber slices, hummus with carrot sticks or multi-grain tortilla chips, marinated tofu cubes with whole grain crackers, almond or sun butter with apple slices.
I hope that you find these suggestions helpful. Kids are always changing and growing and never cease to amaze me with their adaptability. If you try a new recipe or lunch idea and your child isn’t into it, don’t give up. Sometimes it takes a few tries before they catch on and realize they actually do like it!
What’s in your family’s weekly rotation? What have you found to be the most successful lunch foods for your kids? Please comment below- I want to know!
Wishing you health and aloha until next time!
Fauzia
