Children can be picky eaters. Parents know that getting kids to eat anything, much less healthy foods, can sometimes make the dinner table feel more like a battlefield than a place to break bread.
That’s especially so when the dinner table is in a restaurant, where savvy youngsters might know less nutritious dishes like macaroni and cheese or fried chicken fingers are on the menu. But the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet are so numerous for youngsters that it’s worth doing whatever it takes to get kids to embrace nutrient-rich foods, both at home and when dining out.
The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that a healthy diet can stabilize children’s energy levels, help them maintain healthy weights and potentially prevent mental health conditions, including anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
But recognizing the importance of a healthy diet and getting kids to embrace one are two different things, especially when kids are dining out and being tempted by unhealthy alternatives.
In recognition of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following strategies to parents who want their kids to eat healthy when they’re away from home.
• Make meals all-inclusive. When preparing school lunches or taking youngsters out for a night on the town, make sure to offer a mix of foods from the five food groups. The AAP recommends parents offer vegetables, fruit, grains, low-fat dairy, and/or quality protein sources, which can include meat, fish, nuts, seeds, and eggs. Offering each of these foods at every meal may not be feasible, but kids should eat foods selected from the major food groups at every meal.
• Avoid highly processed foods. The National Institutes of Health notes that studies have suggested there’s a link between highly processed foods and health problems. Such foods, which typically contain ingredients such as hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup and flavoring agents, are typically high in calories, salt, sugar, and fat. While highly processed foods tend to be easier to make and readily available at restaurants, serving them to youngsters can start kids down the road to poor dietary habits, potentially increasing their risk for obesity and diseases like heart disease and diabetes. When packing snacks for school lunches or taking kids out to restaurants, be sure to include or bring along healthy whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables. This can ensure kids get some healthy fare during mealtime.
• Enhance foods if necessary. While high amounts of sugar, salt and fat can jeopardize the health of adults and youngsters alike, the AAP notes that small amounts of these substances can be used to enhance kids’ enjoyment of healthy foods and increase the likelihood that they will eat them. Parents may not have much control over what their children eat while away from home. But a handful of strategies can increase the likelihood that kids enjoy healthy fare when eating at school or at restaurants.
