How to Plan Nutritious Meals for Kids

If you're like many parents and you've got a hectic schedule, then dinner time for your children may too often consist of grabbing a hamburger and an order of fries from a fast-food restaurant. Planning nutritious meals may have fallen by the wayside, but it's never too late to begin a new healthy food routine at home. Although it may require time and preparation, the benefits your children reap from eating healthy meals daily will pay off in the long run.

Instructions

• 1

  Take time on a less-busy day, such as a Sunday afternoon or Saturday morning, to plan the week's menu. This habit helps alleviate any last-minute unhealthy dinner decisions.

• 2

  Rummage through healthy cookbooks, and gather a few recipes that are not only nutritious but also likely to be enjoyed by your children. Create a grocery list, and shop one time for the week's meals.

• 3

  Allow your children to help you choose meals, and bring them along to the grocery store. "Give children some control over what they're eating by offering them choices," suggests the Colorado State University Extension's article "Feeding Young Children," by P. Kendall and C. Puck.

• 4

  Plan meals that correlate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, it's important to eat a variety of foods from each of the six food groups. Ensure that the meals you're serving your children are balanced and your little ones aren't consuming too many oils or too few vegetables. Post a copy of the food pyramid on your pantry door or refrigerator, and refer to it often.

• 5

  Introduce new foods periodically to ensure that your children have variety when it comes to eating nutritiously. Choose colorful fruits and vegetables, such as red peppers, eggplant and papaya. If you're only serving green beans, corn and peas for your dinner side items, every now and then, incorporate some turnip greens or couscous.

• 6

  Praise your children for trying new foods even when they dislike them. Incorporating new food items and recipes helps broaden your children's food horizon, enabling them to experience new healthy tastes.