How to Introduce a Healthy Menu for Kids

The strongest model for kids who eat healthily is parents who do the same. Introducing a healthy menu with corresponding healthy behaviors, such as eating family meals together and making the process of healthy eating an enjoyable one, rather than stressful or contentious, are two powerful methods for helping kids appreciate the merits of food that is good for them.

Instructions

• 1

  Integrate healthy ingredients. Buckwheat flour won't sound appetizing to kids, but they might love it as part of their favorite quick bread. In the same way, oatmeal may not automatically be a favorite, but included in cookies or breakfast bars with chocolate chips such an ingredient can quickly gain favor. "Try this oatmeal, it's the same kind that was in those cookies you loved," just might be the perfect segue into a healthier overall eating plan.

• 2

  Focus on variety. There are more than 40 vitamins and minerals essential for good health, says the European Food Council, so a diet rich in variety is beneficial in promoting healthy eating habits. Focus especially on providing a bounty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat meats and dairy. Steer kids from their core group of four or five foods by consistently offering new snacks and meals -- even if they don't like them at first. Don't give up if kids reject a food at first: Repeated exposure to a food encourages kids to incorporate it into their diets, says Everyday Health.

• 3

  Make healthy food visually appealing. A colorless hunk of meat or unadorned raw vegetables may very well not attract children, but there are some quick fixes for that. Cut foods into shapes that resemble other favorite things, such as crackers with hummus for a cracker sandwich or canned pears cut into stars. Serve yogurt in brightly colored cups and let kids "design" their snack with cocoa powder or cinnamon sprinkles.