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Raising Healthy Eaters Back to Parenting
By LifeAdviceSite.com

Want your kids to eat more veggies and healthy foods? Well, what you eat and how you interact with healthy foods in your own life is a key factor in bringing up kids who love eating healthy foods.

You have a say in what your child eats even before they are born.

If you are pregnant, make sure you are incorporating fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins into your daily diet. Not only will your unborn child will receive all of the beneficial nutrients contained in those foods, but at the same time their little bodies will grow accustomed to processing nature's wonderful food instead of chemicals and preservatives. The same applies if you are breastfeeding. Make sure you're eating a well-balance diet full of all the healthy fruits and vegetables you'd want your child to eat - because they are! As you nurse, your child will begin tasting those foods in your breast milk and will develop a liking to those healthy foods.

As you start to introduce new foods to your infant and toddler, be very careful about your approach. First of all, make sure you have a positive attitude when you introduce new foods. If you're feeding your baby spinach and you hate spinach, so you're unconsciously making a face as you're spooning it into their mouth, your baby will pick up on your behavior and start to model you and ultimately learn to dislike the spinach as well.

Secondly, make sure you don't take "no" for a permanent answer. All babies naturally prefer a sweet taste, and they will most likely be happy to gobble up pureed peaches, applesauce, etc. Sometimes when you begin offering things like broccoli, which can be somewhat bitter, you may notice a tendency for your child to make a face. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't like it. Often times, a new food must be introduced several times until they get used to it. Even if they refuse it, try again the next day. If they're hungry, they will accept what is offered to them. Once they've grown accustomed to the flavor, they'll be happy to eat it when meal time rolls around.

As your child grows, continue offering healthy foods even if they claim a dislike of a certain food. With perseverance and vigilance, eventually you may find yourself with a child who loves a gently steamed broccoli spear as much as the mashed potatoes on the plate!