Fit Fare

I recently took a very interesting quiz on iVillage that told me that I am raising two healthy eaters. According to this quiz, my practice of ensuring multiple fruits and veggies in the house at all times, eating healthy foods in front of my children and most importantly giving appropriate sized portions and requiring that they be finished if dessert is to had are just the right things.

My transformation into a healthier household and lifestyle came with the birth of my first child last July (I also have a 6-year-old stepson). I had gained a good deal of weight due to health issues during my pregnancy and vowed that not only would I lose all that weight but I would make sure that my children never have to deal with weight issues. To me, that meant a makeover for my kitchen.

I started by cutting back on processed foods like boxed pasta dishes. Then I worked on cutting down on unhealthy snacks like cookies, candy and chips. Next I cut back on the amount of soda in our home (although my stepson has been long prohibited from it anyway). And finally I began cooking with only whole foods, and fresh whenever possible.

So far, it’s going great.

My 10-month-old (who is still a bit young for preferences) loves fresh steamed veggies, rice, pasta and all sorts of meats. He is also a big fan of my hummus and thorough enjoys whatever fruits I give him.

My 6-year-old’s eating habits have vastly improved. One year ago, dinner was a terrible time every night where he would virtually refuse to eat more than a few bites. Now, with the help of an appropriately sized Shrek bowl and plate and a wider variety of foods in smaller quantities at every meal, he usually finishes what I give him and is generally more open to the greener varieties.

Here are some tips to help you raise a healthy eater:

1) According to this article on WebMD, exposing kids to foods over and over again is a great way to get them to really accept new foods. According to the article, “a child needs to be exposed to a new food between 10 and 15 times before he or she will accept it.: But they caution to take it slow and only introduce a few each week — not several at every meal.

2) Transition young children from pureed foods to lumpier (or solids) sooner rather than later. According to this article on Parents.com, it could help you have a less picky toddler later on. “A 2001 British study of more than 9,300 babies found that those who were introduced to solids with lumpy textures between the ages of 6 and 9 months were less likely, as toddlers, to be picky eaters and more likely to eat common family foods than were children who stuck to completely creamy foods until after 10 months of age,” the article states.

3) This article, an excerpt from Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, MD, says that for picky eaters you should make the meals more fun by having the children do things like create funny names for dishes and serving less favorable foods from special plates. “My mother didn’t serve my meals from that plate every night but saved it for those nights when she was going to pull eggs, fish, or broccoli on me. I still don’t like broccoli, but I’ll still eat it if it’s served off that plate!” Legere writes.

4) Giving kids some choice in what they eat also helps, according to this article on MSN. “Eventually kids will be selecting parts of their meals and snacks, whether at school or at friends’ homes. Giving them the responsibility to do so at home (and making sure their choices are sound) will help them make the right decisions in other settings,” the article states. For my family, this means giving an abridged version of choices at restaurants. My stepson used to choose chicken tenders all the time. Now, we eliminate those from the choices to encourage him to eat different foods and choose other things. It’s been successful, although given the choice he’ll still gravitate to the deep fried strips.

5) This article on Kids Health stressed the importance of healthy meals which they say increases the likelihood that kids will eat fruits and veggies and decrease the likelihood that they will indulge in unhealthy snacks and other unhealthy behaviors like smoking. “What counts as a family meal? Any time you and your family eat together - whether it’s takeout food or a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Strive for nutritious food and a time when everyone can be there,” the article states.