Healthy Eating for Kids

SeedlingsGroup's Co-Founder Bronwyn Charlton, Ph.D. offers perspective to DietSpotlight on the importance of teaching our children to eat healthy: 

Healthy Eating for Kids

“All parents want their kids to eat healthy, but unfortunately some, in an effort to make healthy eating happen, actually make it aversive. When you tell a child the only way they’ll be able to have dessert is if they eat their green beans, for example, you convey to him that green beans prefer something aversive, that he has to bear in order to get the good stuff. On the other hand, when you talk about the benefits of food with your child, how milk can make his bones strong, or carrots, help him see in the dark, you’re more likely to nurture an eater who makes healthy decisions on his own. Notice your child’s healthy eating and not their reluctance. Even if he’s just nibbled the stalk of a piece of broccoli, make a big deal about it. Let him know how impressed you are that he’s taking such good care of his body, and obviously committed to making his brain and his muscles stronger. In doing so, you’ll up the odds, he’ll soon be eating more than just a nibble, and on his own!”