WORDS: Alyce Cimino | Naturopath + Clinic Owner
In the clinic lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions around how to create happy and healthy food habits for children.
Consistency is key with kids, and having the whole family unit on board will help create happy and healthy food habits. In our home, we don’t talk about good foods and bad foods – there is just food. What we do talk about is the way that the food assists the body, teaching the kids to understand when their belly is full or how food makes their body react (this is a BIG one after birthday parties, we will always chat about how their belly is feeling and their mood). We often chat about the way food assists our body – protein makes me run faster, carrots help me see in the dark, avocados make me smart and LSA help me poop!
Of course my kids eat lollies and we go out for gelato (always the good stuff, this Italian isn’t serving Mr Whippy!) but we do so in moderation. We don’t do daily dessert but we will play a game after dinner like charades or bingo. We also don’t call food treats, we call activities treats such as getting the ferry to the city or playing soccer down the park as a family, all in the way of teaching our kids that food is just food, there is no good or bad food.
DAILY TIPS TO TRY
- Breakfast is ALWAYS protein-rich.
Our non-negotiable is protein; I do insist that both kids start their day with a high-protein meal. Research has shown that when kids eat a higher protein breakfast, they can concentrate for longer and have better mood regulation throughout the day. The savoury protein breakfast also sets up better blood glucose response throughout the day and reduces sugar cravings in the afternoon. I also ensure that they have enough wholefood high fibre carbohydrates throughout the day, kids need more energy than adults, they are busy and non stop movers! You need a lot of fuel to run around all day and learn new exciting things all day long.
Some examples of our breakfasts at home are:
+ scrambled eggs with avocado toast
+ cheese omelets (or as the boys call them, snail eggs, because of the way they are rolled rather than flipped)
+ protein dinosaur pancakes (this is more of a weekend one as its not savoury)
+ salmon and avocado toast
+ protein porridge (oats with added protein powder and an egg stirred in)
+ protein smoothie (with added frozen spinach, steamed/frozen zucchini, cinnamon, nut milk, protein powder, nut butter). - Our family sits together and we eat together.
Of course, this isn’t possible for every single meal, but where possible, we make it happen. For us this is usually dinners and weekly breakfast will usually include one parent (even if we are jumping up to pack school bags between bites) but dinner is together wherever possible. We will often take dinner to different locations; outside in the backyard, at the coffee table, at a park, down the beach, at the dining table but we all sit, chit chat and enjoy the meal together. The main reason for this is so we can connect at the end of each day and find out about each other’s day, but also so the kids can see how we as adults eat our food. - We all eat the same meal.
This one is also for our sanity and using time effectively but it also creates connectiveness at main meal times. There will be of course, times where the same meals are presented differently – ie rather than a mixed salad, I will serve the salad as is for my eldest and deconstructed for my youngest but it’s the same meal. Chili is usually added to our individual plates rather than the meal so the kids can still eat the same thing.
The other reason we do this is because we want the kids to see how we eat, the variety we eat, the colours and textures we eat – behaviors are learnt and mimicked. - Each family member requests dinner or main meal.
Even as a wholefood loving Naturopath, I get food decision fatigue so its nice having the extra suggestions for input, but also it gives the kids autonomy with their food choices. Often we will have cookbooks or magazines open so they can pick the pictures, AND if we have time, that child comes to the shop and helps to pick the ingredients for their special chosen meal. - Kids shopping list.
Before doing a big shop, and let me say this is VERY dependent on time I will ask each kid to draw their own shopping list before we go to the shops (my kids aren’t able to read and write as yet, as they age it will change into words). They get to pick which apple is their fave, or which broccoli looks the best. From there, if we have time, I get them to help chop things for their recipe and Hux who is almost 5 also helps with the elements of the cook. - Make dinner Fun.
Sure if you want to make your meal look like a dinosaur playground, go for it, but we don’t do that at our house. What we do is give the kids their own colourful tongs, colour plates, we also have self-serve meals for sides, meals that can be built and eaten with hands such as tacos or salad bowls that they can pick and assemble their own plates.
It may be controversial but we are a no-screens dinner, we don’t have iPads for the kids that they use for meals (either at home or out and about) and we eat off screens. if we are planning a family date and would like to stay longer, I may use my phone to put a show on but this is AFTER we have eaten.
Food and meal times should be relaxed and fun, we have music playing most night as a way to help settle the kids nervous system (and our own as we head into bedtime routine!) There absolutely will be evenings that the day doesn’t go to plan and everything cumbles around it, ah thats life with kids! and thats absolutely ok. creating habits that everyone can be involved in is key