At IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health, we embrace the philosophy that healthy eating can, and should be, a sustainable part of your life. This means that you don’t need to spend countless hours a day in the kitchen to make healthy eating a part of your lifestyle. 

One of the common issues that many people struggle with and that our wellness coach at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health has guided clients with is- if, as a parent, I'm making the transition to a healthier diet...what about my kids?

If you’re cooking a separate meal for your kids -which many clients initially do – then you’re making your life harder than it needs to be. Plus, as parents we want to make sure that we're giving our children the best chance in life, and that's a little hard to do if you're not making sure our children's health needs are met. For more information on this issue please see http://imuaortho.com/blog/fighting-childhood-obesi...

Today, IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health would like to share five practical tips to help you get your children to enjoy all the benefits of a  healthful diet:

1. Most kids love fruit. Give them fruit instead of candy. Don’t use candy as a reward for good behavior; instead, get them to pick out their favorite fruit. Make sure that you have their choice readily available! If you want to stick to what’s in season, you can give them a list of all the seasonal fruits and have them chose their favorite. This is a great way to teach them about the seasons and how to eat fruits that are local and in season.

2. Parents often struggle to get their kids to eat vegetables. A good starting point is to camouflage vegetables, in the meals which your kids already enjoy eating. For example, if they love pasta – finely chop some extra veggies into the pasta sauce – you can use zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, grated carrot – if you cut it finely enough and cook it down with the pasta sauce they might not even notice.

3. Or you can camouflage them even more by blending all the veggies into a soup. Creamy butternut is great (We'll post a recipe soon) or creamy broccoli soup:http://imuaortho.com/blog/creative-cooking-meets-creamy-broccoli-soup/

4. Get your kids to help out. This is a really great tip because you receive a double benefit – you receive help in the kitchen + your kids are more likely to make healthy choices. When kids are involved in the creation of their meal, they are much more likely to eat it, without complaint. When they get their hands dirty with some organic kale or they watch the juiciness of a plump red tomato explode as it’s cut (or crushed, if we’re too young for cutting) it engages all their senses and their involvement will make them feel more connected to their meal and where it came from. Of course, their task will depend on their age – if your child is still too young to cut vegetables, they can help you set the table, or pick herbs from the garden, or accompany you to the local farmers market, where they can meet the farmer who grew their food.

I hope that you have enjoyed these four fun tips to get your kids to eat healthy. If you want extra guidance with your transition to a healthier lifestyle please feel free to send an e-mail to Kamala at imuahealth@gmail.com to schedule a free health coaching consultation. Thank you and have a great day!