Do You Have A Food Guide For Your Kids?

Did you know that more and more children are obese? That's what a national study showed. In fact, it said that the number of children with poor nutrition is astounding. Macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, and French fries were among the top food choices for children. So how do we get them to eat better? What is a proper food guide that we can stick to?

The first step is to make sure they eat what is cooked. If you are serving a food dish they don’t like, they can have the choice of eating it or not having dinner. (Editor's note: At the same time, be reasonable about it. For instance, I just could never like liver, in fact, I hated it! and when my mom served this, I would have rather gone without eating).

Now, this can be really difficult at first and can start a big fight. When introducing new foods that you think your kids won’t like, also serve something good that you know they will eat. This can help eliminate the problem of them “starving to death”.

Once your children know that they must try new foods, it allows you to begin experimenting. I heard of one family where a recipe book was found that had 36 weeks of recipes. The first time they used the book, each family member rated the dinner item. The mom placed a star by the recipe for each family member that liked the food. Now when they go through the book, if an item has fewer than 3 or 4 stars, they skip that meal. Isn't that a great idea? It was like they had a food guide for reference.

You could also find recipes that provide good nutrition – legumes, vegetables, fruits. Do you remember the food pyramid that was learned in your school days? Well, if your kids are eating school lunch, they are getting one good nutritious meal. You can follow their food guidelines when planning your own meals. You might keep the monthly calendar with the meals the school has planned, and follow them for dinner (in a different month). Once again, a good idea.

Now, here's a thought. Have your children try one bite of a food that they didn't like before. You know what? They might like it now. Kid’s taste buds change over time, and something they hated before they might really like now.

(I still don't like liver)