5 Tips for Encouraging Children and Young People to Eat Healthy Food

5 Tips for Encouraging Children and Young People to Eat Healthy Food

Healthy eating habits are the cornerstone to a healthy lifestyle but this is often easier said than done and can be even harder for many children looked after. They may have come from a home where life was hard and junk food was the only option, maybe they have been the one responsible for feeding themselves or their siblings, or maybe food was infrequent, meals were few and far between and it was necessary to eat what was available, when it was available. It is hard enough to get children to eat the dreaded 5 a day but when food is a trigger this needs to be approached sensitively and not having expectations that this is going to happen overnight.

Here are some ways you can support your children and young people and help them to introduce healthy eating habits into their every day.

Lead by Example

Children Looked After haven’t always had the best role models in their lives so a great place to start when creating new routines and building new habits is to lead by example and show them how you incorporate healthy eating into your life. Make it something that you can all do together. Whether that is set meal times around the dining table (when this is appropriate and works with the child’s needs) or just simply showing how interesting and enjoyable you find healthy meals. If children see you enjoying healthy foods they’re more likely to join in.

Get Them Involved

Involving your children in choosing, creating and making can help them feel part of the process. More importantly, involving children in preparing family meals will help with relationship building as you chat throughout the process and trust them to make decisions and undertake tasks.

Make It Fun

Everything is easier when it is fun. Make healthy eating into a fun activity by creating colourful meals that are interesting to look at and fun to eat. Cutting fruit and vegetables into fun shapes can make food more interesting for children. If you are feeling adventurous (and prepared to commit to the long haul) you could start a small vegetable garden with the children and watch them get excited to grow, pick and eat their very own fruit and vegetables.

Turn it into a learning opportunity

A great way of getting children excited about the food they are eating is to make it into a learning opportunity. Preparing food together can help them to learn more about the food they are eating and develop skills in preparing food. You can also explore the benefits of eating healthily and explain how these foods help their bodies grow, give them energy, and make them feel good.

Offer Choices

As previously mentioned, some children looked after will not have had access or introduction to many different types of foods, so it is important to provide a variety of healthy options and allow children to choose what they like. Giving them control over their choices makes them feel more empowered to think about the foods they want and like as well as being encouraged to healthy food choices. If food is a particular trigger then consider taking them shopping with you each week and having them choose a fruit or vegetable that they will try that week. This will help to slowly introduce new foods without the pressure of having too much to think about.

As always if you have any questions or are unsure about ways to introduce new foods to children with traumatic pasts where food is a trigger you should reach out to your Supervising Social Worker and attend your local support group. Remember this may not be as straightforward as popping a banana in a lunch box and seeing if it gets eaten so speak to the support network around you for ideas and advice.