Parents, you know how challenging it can be to get your kids to eat healthy foods.  With all the junk food out there, you might feel that you are fighting a losing battle. But you probably also know that eating the right foods helps to fuel a healthy body and promotes good oral health.  

Childhood obesity is a widespread problem in the United States because over 13 million children and teens are considered obese. Childhood obesity can lead to medical, emotional, and dental problems. The dental consequences of an unhealthy diet can cause increases in tooth decay and can affect childhood tooth development.  

As parents, we all know what our kids should be eating. The problem is getting them to want to eat it! Picky eaters & junk food junkies can make healthy eating a challenge for parents. Sometimes, we just have to think outside the box to start making healthier changes.

Here are some creative and fun ways to get your kids to want to eat right!

• Be the Food Leader
  • If you want your kids to eat right, you must eat right too. Buying healthy foods and showing your kids how much you like to eat it is the first step to getting your kids to want to join you. Kids often want to emulate their parents. What better way to be like mom and dad is by eating carrot sticks together!
• Create Food Imagination
  • Making healthy snacks can be fun when you use healthy food to make creative creatures like Clementine Chicks or Celery Snakes.  
• Kids in the Kitchen
  • Getting your kids involved in making meals and snacks gets them interested in food choices and makes them feel special. Planning healthy meals and letting your kids help to make them fosters a sense of accomplishment in your kids. And of course, if they make it, they will want to try it!
• Clever Recipes
  • Now and then, you might have to sneak some healthy food into recipes. A lot of times, you can do that without your kids even knowing. You can throw some vegetables into fruit smoothies, add protein powder to pancake mix, or even make treats like sweet potato brownies or cauliflower tots.
• Allow Treats
  • Forbidding foods can make them become more appealing to kids. So, allow some less healthy choices occasionally as a balance. Sometimes, allowing a treat after a healthy meal encourages good eating habits.  
• Pairing Fun Foods
  • Perhaps you make your kid’s plates colorful by using various fruits. Or, you add peanut butter to apples or ranch dip to veggies. Adding a few fun extras will make healthy stuff more attractive!
• Get Gadgets
  • There are so many kid-friendly products out there that make mealtime fun. Whether you are looking for gadgets to make healthy popsicles, fun utensils or plates that make kids want to finish their meals or creative molds that make food characters, you can be sure that there are countless fun novelties that make healthy eating amusing & happy for your kids.
• Play Food Games
  • Online food games are available to teach your kids about healthy food choices. By playing games, kids can learn about healthy foods in a fun way that helps them to associate good foods with the fun characters that they already love.
• Take Food Field Trips
  • Take a family field trip to a local farmer’s market or orchard where they can choose their own produce or even pick their own apples or strawberries. Make it fun by dressing up and even bringing your own baskets to carry the goods.  
• Family Food Theme Night
  • Theme nights make meal planning easier for parents and fun for kids. Pick a day or two a week to plan a theme such as Taste the World Wednesday or Movie Monday that will make eating a fun adventure.

Making food choices fun is the key to success in getting your kids to want to eat the right stuff that their bodies and their teeth need.  With just a bit of creativity, you can save yourself a lot of stress and maybe even have some fun too!