Every parent wants the very best for their child and one of the things we want is for our children to have the best health. Of course, we know the way to do this is to limit or eliminate junk food and have them eat plenty of healthy, natural foods. The problem is that this is easier said than done. So if you have a picky eater and you are worried about his eating habits, how do you get them to eat? Follow these tips that have worked for generations.

Make It Fun

• Let your child use a toothpick with frills on the top instead of a fork or spoon. They think this is fun and fancy

• For children just learning to count, tell them they have to eat X amount of bites and then make a game of counting the bites

• Give foods fun names – call peas "bubbles" and broccoli "trees"

• Let them make their own pizzas at home. Set out healthy choices for the toppings

• Put their least favorite vegetables in "fancy" cocktail glasses that you can get at discount stores. During the summer time you can easily find these in the lawn and garden section and they are plastic for outdoor use.

Disguise It

• Blend fruits and veggies and add them to your children’s favorites: taco meat, chili, pasta sauce, chicken noodle soup, spaghettios, macaroni-n-cheese, and meatloaf

• Blend veggies ahead of time (when the children aren’t around), put the mixture in ice-cube trays and freeze. When you are cooking their favorite foods, simply plop a cube of veggies into their food and they won’t know the difference

• Mix two jars of baby food prunes to a brownie mix

• When making scrambled eggs, chop up spinach, cheese, and mushrooms very finely and add

• Sprinkle cinnamon on veggies

• Make smoothies with fruit juice, yogurt, and milk sneaking in a couple of blended veggies

• Use turkey meat instead of hamburger

Let Them Be in Control

• Put all of their food on the plate at the same time and let them choose the order they eat it

• Make a "chore" chart with eating fruits and vegetables one of the things on the list. Let the child put a sticker on for every time they eat one. Give them a reward for getting their chores done

• Use sauces and dips. Let the child choose what they would like to dip their vegetables in. Use fancy bowls for the dips

• Clementines are seedless tangerines that are easy to peel. Let them peel their own "orange"

These tips are all tried and true methods of encouraging your children to eat healthy foods. It may seem like a lot of work sometimes in the battle of healthy eating, but keep at it and in the end you will win. The good news is that your children will win too by being healthy and strong.

Jason Ladock

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