Certified Health Coach, Plant-Based
More Nutrition for Kids
More Nutrition for Kids - Getting Kids to Eat More
When children eat more, they also most of the time get more nutrients into their body - depending on their body's ability to assimilate the food they ingest.
If you are on a mission to get the little ones to eat more, let's explore some option on how to do this. Forcing them is not an option.
I know some children who eat so little that there is no wonder their parents get worried! It happens all the time in the families I visit.
One mother noticed that her son was more picky than her daughter and still today eats much less than her. The mom says she thinks its because of the way she fed them.
The
boy she always spoon fed very mild tasting baby food. The girl was
never spoon-fed, instead she ate herself and has been doing that since
she was very little! Now she is 1.5 years old and loves food.
Mom puts different pieces of food on her tray and she grabs them and eats very well that way. She doesn't even need a bib. Of course sometimes she will get a few stains here and there but for the most part she will manage quite well without much of a mess.
I work for that family and today I made them some kale wraps with black bean filling. The mom texted me a little while ago saying that the food was delicious and her daughter ate everything! I hope she didn't mean that the girl ate the whole batch of food that I made though because it was a lot! lol
She didn't mention anything about her son, so I can imagine that he had a hard time getting any of it down.
More Nutrition for Kids
Well, what to do if you have a child like that? A child who doesn't eat much and isn't interested in trying new foods? As parents we need to make sure this picky eater gets enough nutrients in him, even though it seems impossible because all he wants is pasta, right?
...at least until the child matures enough to be more open minded when it comes to food.
I wouldn't normally suggest that, because I'm not a huge fan of deception - but a little spinach in the muffin dough would probably not hurt anyone? And some extra salad pieces in the sandwich.
Also, a quality multi vitamin could be an option?
And how about sneaking an extra meal into the daily routine if you believe he really needs to eat a lot more?
Because eating frequently instead of large meals could be the solution here.
There is breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and evening meal or snack - whatever you call it in your family.
How about sneaking in another meal between the morning snack and lunch? If it is at anyway possible and if the child is young enough to still be at home. If he is at school already you could make it between the afternoon snack and dinner.
You know, the time of the day when everyone is hungry and waiting for
dinner to be ready :) That is an excellent time to get him to eat
something that is healthy but not necessarily that filling. A
perfect "starter". You could also make it a habit to always give him
starters before every meal.
Some families skip the evening meal
because they eat dinner so late. A mistake if you have a child who needs
more food in their system. Even if dinner and the snack would be just
15 minutes apart, so what?
When you have finished cleaning up and gotten
your kid in his pajama, tell him its time for the evening snack - he
will be surprised at first but he will get used to it. It could be something as simple as banana with peanut butter or a small sandwich or
even just a handful of raisins and some kid-friendly tea. Like chamomile
tea - will help him sleep better too!
Also, an easy way getting kids to eat more would be to prepare a few of these delicious recipes every day.
- More Nutrition for Kids -
One thing is for sure though, sometimes children eat a lot and at times not so much at all. It depends on many things, but for example on how much they are growing at that
particular time and on how active they have been that day. But also on their mood or how they feel that day.
A good idea is to save any leftovers for a snack for later or for tomorrow, that way you don't waste so much food when your little one isn't in the eating mode :)
By the way, my website may earn affiliate commission when you go to a vendor through a link on my website. That way I get a little profit but you won't be paying any more than you usually would. All it does it help antonianyberg.com stay here and it helps me keep spreading my nutrition knowledge.
Find even more Nutrition for Kids articles below.
Related Topics
Comments