Every parent wants their children to grow up big, strong, and healthy. The best way to achieve this is by ensuring they get as many nutrients in their everyday diet and lifestyle. However, parents also know how fussy their kids can be, especially if they try to make substantial dietary changes out of the blue. 

So how can you give your kids more nutrients? If you’re worried about their eating habits and want to improve your diet at the same time, here are seven great ideas to help your kids eat better. 

Schedule Snack And Meal Times 

Scheduling times for food may seem a little too close to being at school, but it’s an effective way for busy families to ensure everyone gets three meals a day to keep them energized. Encouraging your kids to come downstairs for breakfast (and getting up early enough to do so) will make it easier for you to serve them a healthy and nutritious breakfast. The same goes for lunch and dinner, as this prevents them from staying out with their friends all day and coming home hungry or simply snacking on fast food or other empty-calorie options. 

Cook More At Home 

Speaking of empty calories, you can ensure your kids get more nutrients by cooking more meals at home. This might sound obvious for plenty of households, yet some parents feel too busy and too overwhelmed to cook after a long day at work. Meal prep can change this, while this homemade recipe for pasta with Italian sausage provides something different than ready meals or an oven tray of french fries and chicken nuggets. 

Prepare Foods Differently

You might already serve plenty of fruits and vegetables, but if your kids still won’t eat them, you need to ask yourself why. It could be that the way you prepare them does not meet their palate sensitivities. If you boil vegetables (perhaps boil them too much) they can become mushy and unappealing. Conversely, roasting or grilling them with some seasonings can help overcome food aversions, and–as a bonus–these methods can draw out more nutrients you’d otherwise miss out on had you boiled or baked the vegetables. 

Don’t Shame Them 

You must accept that kids will have weird food preferences as they grow up. They might love a meal one day and hate it the next. They might prefer to only eat one or two things. While this can be frustrating, shaming them for their eating habits won’t get you anywhere. If anything, it will encourage them to be even more stubborn about their meal choices. Instead, try to offer nutritious foods as a side for what they usually eat to ensure they still get something good in their stomachs. 

Get Your Kids Involved In Cooking and Meal Prep 

Sometimes, it only takes kids to see how you cook and prepare meals to make them appreciate how important nutrients are. Getting them involved in the process shows them how to properly prepare various dishes and can give them sufficient skills to make food for themselves once they move out, which will be exceptionally important when they get to college or move into their first apartment. 

Make Healthy Options Available 

If your house is full of candy, chips, and other salty or sugary snacks, it’s no surprise that your kids gravitate to these over fruits and vegetables. You can avoid this by offering healthy candy alternatives which will give them something good to snack on. Dried fruits and nuts are two common choices that can improve your children’s diets and help them get more nutrients without feeling like they are forcing themselves to eat something they might not enjoy. 

Show Them the Benefits of Healthy Eating 

Your kids will naturally monitor your behavior, so the best way to get them to eat more nutritious foods is to show them the benefits. If you eat nothing but fast food every day, they are bound to copy you. However, if you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and maintain a healthy lifestyle, they will follow suit. It might not be obvious–and they might not realize it initially–but this approach sets them up for a healthier lifestyle later in life. 

The Right Track 

It can take time to teach your kids better eating habits. Still, it’s worth considering these tips to normalize healthy eating and give them the best chance to develop a diet that benefits them. With this, they can grow up energized and learn how to cook themselves, meaning they will have the skills to continue these habits once they move out.