Learn the Secrets to Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

Some of you have requested more nutrition advice for children.  So, I wanted to highlight this useful content from a recent eblast that I received from Dr. Fuhrman’s mailing list.  It shares a fun, new children’s book: The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach™, a story that is quickly making veggies cool with little people…

What can a parent do when his or her child refuses to eat anything green and seems to subsist on chicken-fingers and French fries alone?  Here are a few tricks of the trade from Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand, authors of the new children’s book The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach™:

• Make food preparation a family affair.  The more you involve your kids in the preparation and selection of meals and snacks, the more willing they are to try healthy foods.  Even a simple trip to the grocery store to allow them to pick out the fruits and vegetables for the week (each child in the family should get his/her own choice) can make a world of difference.  Let older children find recipes online that sound good to them using healthy foods.  Allow them to choose how the vegetable of the day is prepared and even help in the preparation.

• Have a make-your-own smoothie party.  Fill bowls with various ingredients, such as berries, mango, spinach, broccoli, flax or chia seeds, and let kids pick what they want.  They can even turn the blender on!  They love to be in control!

• Make your own salad.  The same trick will work for salads.  But don’t just include lettuce.  Use seeds, fruit, dried peas-anything goes!

• Let them dip.  Make a quick salad dressing or bean dip or use a store-bought one and watch them eat string beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and any other veggie that you cut into strips for dipping.  Make veggie and fruit shapes.  Thinly slice carrots and cucumbers and use tiny cookie cutters to make shapes.  Everything is more fun when it’s in a shape (think silly bands).

• Make a vegetarian soup.  Pureed soups are great because you can’t see what’s in them (kale is easy to use this way).  You’ll be amazed what they’ll eat when it’s been whizzed in the blender or mixed with an immersion blender.

• As adults, we can be told that good nutrition fosters academic and athletic performance, but getting children to understand the importance of a healthy diet can be a daunting task, even with some tricks up your sleeve.  Children need fun and entertaining ways to learn about healthy eating.  Also, don’t forget to check out The Mitch Spinach website .  When kids start asking their parents for broccoli, carrots, or flax seeds because they want to be like Mitch Spinach, your own healthy choices will seem effortless and fun!

• To get kids on the right track with healthy eating, order your copy of The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach .  This children’s book combines the fun of reading with the invaluable gift of health.  Just in time for the holidays!