Helping your children make their way towards a healthy mind and body.
Has your child ever sadly pushed their vegetables around their plate, scheming of ways to sneak them to the dog or discard them in their napkin?
Do they make a fuss when you trade out chips for an apple or soda for juice? Do they love junk food but never show the same excitement around nutritious options?
Have you struggled to get them to eat healthy just to end up saying some variation of the phrase, “Eat this or else…” just to get them to do it?
Have you thought, will it always be this hard to get my child to eat healthy? Shouldn’t there be an easier way?
Science shows how imperative it is for children to eat nutrient-dense foods (alive, fresh, vitamin and mineral-filled fruits and vegetables) because eating processed sugary foods (boxed, canned, plastic-covered food lacking vitamins and minerals) can adversely affect their brain development. Check it out here!
Yikes!
Documentaries like Fed Up uncover some hard truths about our diets. One of them is that of the 600,000 food items available in America, 80% have added sugar, and by 2050 one in three Americans will have diabetes.
Oof!
Eating healthy, balanced food is vital for our children because poor nutrition leads to:
- Growth development issues
- Illness
- Hyperactivity
- Mood swings
- Addictive eating behaviors
- Obesity
No one wants these struggles for our future generations!
You might be thinking, Great! So, I will struggle with this until my kids are grown…
No! It does NOT have to be that way! It turns out that getting your kids to eat healthy can be easy, simple, and, dare I say, fun! Not convinced? That’s fair. But keep reading.
Here are three easy Happy Life System ways to bring joy back into healthy eating today.
1. Reframing the language around healthy eating creates magic! (Unify it?)
The mind is a powerful tool. You can change your perception of anything simply by the way you think about and describe it. Your child’s mindset can shift from having to eat it to wanting to eat it when you begin to describe healthy eating as an opportunity instead of framing it as a chore!
Instead of saying, “You need to eat this carrot because it is good for you,” try this:
“Wow! You have the amazing opportunity to supercharge your body with all the energy it needs with this carrot. It has incredible superpowers that will help you feel energized to play all day! It has magic inside of it for you.”
2. Make it a game. (Gamify it?)
Science has shown that children learn through play.
Play shouldn’t end at the swing set. Move the fun into the kitchen and start making eating a game. One of the best ways to do this is by playing chef.
Take them on a special trip to the grocery store. Have your child pick out three different colored vegetables to prepare a dish. This empowers them to take leadership of their own healthy eating, and it’s fun!
3. Seal it with gratitude. (Amplify it?)
If a life filled with gratitude is a happy one, then a body filled with gratitude is a healthy and happy one!
Sometimes showing gratitude is even easier when we assume sentience! Let your child know that food has feelings and is listening. Ask them to say “thank you” to the food for fueling them with the power they need. Let them know that gratitude is the key to magical wealth flowing into your life.
Have them research, learn, and understand so they can see the value for themselves rather than it coming from you. Giving them the opportunity to understand why this is an important key to their life.
This unlocks a new awareness, and before long, your child will enjoy eating healthy. Soon enough, you’ll be reminiscing on the difficult days while enjoying the easier ones!
