Developing healthy eating habits in kids
February 25, 2009 
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Healthy eating habits will last your child a lifetime. The time and energy you put into creating a healthy eater with a wholesome and curious appetite will be rewarded with a healthy, energetic, well balanced child. Good eating habits begin from the time your child starts solid foods. You have the opportunity to set the tone for good eating and healthy choices in your family. Providing your baby with organic cereal and baby food is a great start. Feed baby on a predictable schedule, offering healthy choices following your pediatrician’s recommendations. Fresh steamed vegetables and fruits can be mashed and served up to the tiniest appetites. A mashed up avocado is full of nutrition, easy to make and great fun to spread on the tray of a highchair. As kids get older add some salsa and sour cream and you’ve got great guacamole. Why not avoid processed foods and added sugars when you can ? While processed foods can be convenient, whenever possible offer fresh food you’ve prepared yourself.
As your child grows older and begins eating three meals of solid foods a day, the time is ripe for getting them to know and love healthy foods. Develop the attitude that your child might eat anything and offer them the chance to do so. Steamed artichokes are great fun to eat! Squeeze some fresh lemon and a little balsamic vinegar over them, steam until soft and let the fun begin. Teach your kids to pull the leaves, scrape off the meat and then cut up the heart when they get down to it. Its fun to watch the leaves pile up on the table, too. A little creativity can go a long way towards getting you kids to try and like healthy foods. Anything you might be mixing up can have a little wheat germ or flax seed thrown into it. No one will know and its a great way to deliver a little extra nutrition. Add oats, wheat germ and flax seed into your chocolate chip cookies. Just substitute the oats for the measure of nuts your recipe calls for. Your children won’t think anything of it. Sprinkle wheat germ and blue berries over frozen whole grain waffles for a quick and easy breakfast. Fruit smoothies are another great way to deliver all kinds of healthy foods in a great tasting drink. Start with a little orange juice and ice, an organic immunity yogurt, maybe some protein powder. Add any fruit you like, fresh or frozen, dried goji berries for their antioxidants and a sprinkle of flax seed or wheat germ. Tasty health in a cup ! The key is to develop a taste for
