Healthy Eating for Kids

Family Meals Be a Role Model

Involve Kids in the Process

Family Meals Important to sit down together at meals

o Discuss the dayo No television or electronics

Can be comforting for both kids and parentso Kids look forward to it

Kids are more likely to:o Eat fruits, vegetables, and grains

And less likely to:o Eat unhealthy snack foodso Smoke cigarettes, use marajuana, or drink alcohol

Tips:o Let kids invite a friend to dinnero Involve your children in planning and prepo Keep mealtime calm and fun- no arguing or lectures

Be a Role Model Eat fruits and vegetables

o Don’t overindulge in unhealthy foods Serve appropriate servings

o Don’t overeat Talk about feeling full

o Say things like “This is really good, but I’m full, so I’m going to stop eating.”

Also, don’t talk negatively about your bodyo Continuous dieting can enforce the same values in your

kids

Involve Kids in the Process

Let kids help plano Planning healthy, well-balanced mealso Even shopping

• Teach them to read food labels

Give kids age appropriate tasks in the kitchen-only as long as they want too Praise them when they are done

Getting kids involved can teach them and prepare them to make healthy choices when they are older.

Some Fun Healthy Foods for Kids

Apricot Walnut Cereal Bars

Strawberry-Orange Muffins

Quick Breakfast Tacos

Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch

Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey

Burgers

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Frozen Chocolate-Covered Bananas

Chocolate-Banana

Grahams

Resources Gavin, M. (2014, May 1). Healthy Eating. Retrieved

November 24, 2014, fromhttp://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_

center/healthy_eating/habits.html Healthy Kids Diet Center. (2014, January 1). Retrieved

November 24, 2014, fromhttp://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/

healthy_kids_diet_center Nutrition for Children and Teens. (2014, January 1).

Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/nutrition-for-children-and-teens.htm