Experience has taught me that good eating habits depend on how food is perceived. My children are grown up now and I can say they have always had good eating habits. I mean they enjoy quality food in reasonable quantities and I put it down to the fact that I always presented healthy food as a treat and made eating fruits and vegetables fun.
I did this because I had observed that when candy was presented as a treat, then that’s how children saw it – of course! But this made no sense to me. I felt that if instead I associated the notion of treat to something healthy – food related or not: whether it were raisins, stickers, or butterfly kisses – then that’s how my child felt about these things instead.
I have always thought that telling a child, “if you eat this vegetable, you can have a treat afterwards” was giving the wrong message. If I wanted my children to like healthy food, I was to present vegetables and fruit as treats.
I have to admit when my children were young, they weren’t as keen on cooked vegetables as they are now, as these are an acquired taste that comes later for most children. Younger children usually prefer raw, crunchy and slightly sweet tasting vegetables. They also like them in fun shapes and presentation. For example, I found carrots or bell pepper sticks, cucumber coins, and cherry tomatoes to be popular. When at home, I would display them on a plate in the shape of something like an animal, to make it more fun!
It does not matter what the rest of the world does and advertises, as parents, I believe we can help our children develop a healthy treat mentality when they are young. As my children grew and became more exposed to the world and therefore, as they came to question home culture, I would explain my reasoning. This way, I think I also taught them to be critical thinkers: to know better as well as to be understanding of other people’s views. I always told them that what other people do is their business and I would teach them to thank and appreciate people’s good intention when offering candy. My children just knew that they would get the real treat from me. As a parent, I never gave up and as a result, I was able to make the whole difference. And believe me, I also had curious, independent children, and they did try different ways, like many of those children who make the best choices later in life – thanks to their parents!
Have fun with healthy food!
