Tips on making the kids food journey fun

Making the food journey fun

Do you dread or love dinner time? I used to find myself panicking before even sitting at the table, obsessing over whether and how much my kids ate and spending my time coercing them to eat what I had cooked. Then one day I decided to relax, enjoy my dinner and my family’s company. I can sit and enjoy my meal even if the others do not want to, why should they ruin my dinner? And they quickly learnt!

From then on, I have had a much more enjoyable time (and so have they) and I was able to get more adventurous with my cooking (and my kids are getting more adventurous in their eating too). I encourage them to try but I no longer criticise myself if their eating is less than perfect. It is a journey; they will learn in time.

Creating a happy family mealtime is easier than you think. 

Here is how:

Firstly, you need to eat with your kids at the table and turn the TV off.

Creating a nice supportive environment where you can role model healthy eating is one of the biggest predictors of children’s diet. 

At least one parent should sit and eat with the kids at least once a day. If you currently feed the kids dinner early and eat later with your partner, it is time to change (harsh, I know but you can still enjoy your partner’s company while they eat). And if you currently cook different meals for the different dinner sittings, now is the time to give yourself a break and cook one meal (you can combine food kids love with new foods to make it less scary for the kids).

Secondly set some family table rules.

Teach your kids to sit at the table and chat, preferably even once they have finished (this may improve with age but start to encourage it). Involve them in setting the table (they can choose some nice plates, maybe some napkins) and the cleaning up. 

Most importantly teach them the food politeness rule.

Politeness rule – be nice to food. Be polite to sweet potato, courteous to carrots and there is no need to badmouth broccoli.

Lastly create a loving and calm environment which encourages kids to try new foods and enjoy healthy foods. 

They can learn that healthy food is fun and enjoyable, not about being gruffly told to “eat your veggies.”  

Stop the nagging and start talking about your day and the food. 

Forget bribing but remember marketing. Use descriptive words like crunchy, sweet, colourful, and fresh. 

Encourage kids to not just taste and food but see it and smell it as well. 

Sell healthy foods to your kids by explaining fish is brain food for tomorrow’s test, that green foods help you jump high, and veggies of the traffic light make you a faster swimming.

1. Gardening

Spring is here so it is time to replant the veggie garden. Growing veggies is a wonderful way to get kids invested and interested in fruits and veggies. I remember my two-year-old son rarely ate tomatoes until we planted some cherry tomatoes in a little pot in our tiny unit. They are now one of his favourites! Choosing what to plant can also be a great activity. Invest in a little watering that is appropriately sized to your child. 

2. Meal planning and veggie shopping - (Mom Testimonial #1 - Touch on Tetra Packs)

Kids love helping to plan the meals. I will often let them choose a meal to go on the fortnightly plan especially on the school holidays. Meal planning together gives you the opportunity to teach them about making sure they include a:

• GROW food (meat, meat alternative including tofu, eggs, beans)
• GO food (whole grains including pasta, flour, polenta, potatoes, rice etc)
• and of course, lots of GLOW foods (colourful veggies. Aiming for half the dish or plate to be different coloured veggies).

Take them shopping. They can be involved choosing the colours for the week (both fruit and veggies). This gives them the chance to interact with fresh produce away from the table. It is not about eating or tasting; it is about becoming familiar and comfortable with fresh produce. Learning what a ripe avocado is, smelling the pawpaw to see if it is ready and checking the bottom of strawberry punnets for the best ones. I usually let them each choose something to eat as a snack after shopping, which is how my son first decided he liked raw mushrooms!

3. Cooking
(Mom Testimonial #2 - Adding PediaSure to meals)

You may be looking forward to the time when your kids can cook your dinner but, in the meantime, it is cooking together for a while. From fruity baking to lazy school holiday breakfasts to helping cook dinner. Cooking together is a lovely way to spend time together, get a 'chore' done, teach valuable life skills and create colourful and adventurous eaters!

Activities kids love in the kitchen:

• wash and scrub veggies 
• cutting, kids just love cutting!! (Try our great kids safety knives)
• mixing and blending
• tear lettuce and make salad
• roll meatballs
• crumb chicken or fish
• sprinkle seeds and herbs
• just helping and spending time with you

Make sure to teach your kids to help clean up afterwards too.