by Kellie Davis

The more your kids complain about healthy eating, the more isolated you feel.  The words, “I don’t like salad,” or “fish is gross!” screech down your spine like a fork scraping the bottom of a pie tin. You don’t ask much of them at the dinner table. Just the basics: don’t talk with your mouth full, use your napkin — not your shirt, eat your veggies, don’t complain about my cooking, elbows off the table, and use your utensils, not your hands.

Wow, if we really think about it, dinnertime is a chore in itself. Add in a healthy meal, and the kids may feel like they are in boot camp rather than spending an enjoyable evening with their family. The big question that sparks a fire in every mother’s heart is, “How did they get this way?”

You taught them better. At least you remember doing so. When they were babies, you mashed up their peas and carrots, put their chicken and rice in the food processor, and made sure they ate on a schedule.

So, if it’s not your fault, then who did this to your children?

Outside Influences

Regardless of how well you teach your children, they are going to be influenced by the outside world. March into any school cafeteria, peer into the lunchboxes of those hyper little angels, and you’ll see exactly why your kids would rather eat cupcakes than cauliflower.

I always claim that my children had perfect diets until they went to school — it was all down hill from there. I remember when my daughter was in pre-K, I would pack her fresh salads and grilled chicken while all the other children ate canned ravioli and fruit cups. Her teachers would drool over her lunch while she would yearn for what other children were eating.

Not only are they influenced by other children, but other family members and the media play a part, as well.  Turn on the TV and you’ll soon see that every fast food chain has thrown the latest and greatest cartoon character into their kids’ meal. Watch an hour of kids’ shows and you’ll have seen more sugary commercials than the kids who actually star in them.

Eventually, you get tired of the battle and give in. What starts as a few treats here and there blossoms into an out of control lifestyle full of bad eating habits and a tremendous amount of whining. Before you stomp up to Grandma Minnie’s house and scold her for allowing cookies before dinner, let’s work on fixing things at home.

Take Them Shopping

Bringing kids to the grocer may seem like a nightmarish task. However, if you involve them in the process, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the trip becomes. Most kids act up in the store because the entire trip is about them behaving while you do the work — so hand over the list and let them do the gathering. Their interest in veggies will skyrocket if they have to hunt for the best head of cabbage!

Depending on the age of your children, you can assign different tasks. For younger ones, you can make it simply about counting and colors. For preschool age through lower elementary, have them help you fill the basket. Tell them what to pick out, or give them the list to check off. Older children should focus on a lesson in money — have them find the best deals for you, match your coupons with products, or decide what foods you should pair together.

Involve Them in Meal Preparation

Kids love to cook. More importantly, they love to eat what they cook. Involving your kids in the kitchen is one of the best ways to grow health-conscious minds. Allow them to help you make a menu, shopping list, and your meals. Ask them at the beginning of the week what they’d like for dinner, and watch their faces instantly light up. It shows that you really do consider their needs when it comes to cooking!

You may not fit them into the kitchen every night, but planning at least one night a week where they help cook will really change the way they view food. Some nights, consider allowing them to take charge of what’s for dinner. If you end up with peanut butter celery sticks, cheese slices, and grilled chicken, then consider your meal five star.

Find Ways to Make Bad Foods Good

You can still feed your kids pizza and chicken fingers. Finding healthy alternatives to their favorite foods is a great way to please everyone.

Buy Them Cookbooks

The market has tons of cleaning-eating cookbooks for kids. Buying them a cookbook or two will really show that you care about what they eat. It also makes the eating about them, taking care of the age-old battle of, “I am not going to eat well because you are telling me to do so.”

Who knows? They may surprise you with breakfast in bed one morning!

Make Treats Treats Again

Dessert doesn’t have to come with every meal and snack. Sugary cereal for breakfast, snack cakes for lunch, fruit gummies for a snack, and then ice cream after dinner…. You get my point.

Reserve treats for the weekend. Kids need to function for school, and all that sugar does, is cause insulin spikes and crashes throughout the day.

Don’t Give In

Why do your kids complain so much at dinnertime? Because they know they will eventually get their way. Don’t give them options! A child will not starve himself; if he refuses to eat his dinner, so be it. Leave his plate on the table and every time he asks for a snack, send him right back to his plate.

The same principle goes for restaurants. Don’t give them options.  If you want your child to eat chicken and broccoli rather than a burger and fries, order it.

Remember Your Role

Most households in America have two working parents. Some parents even work two jobs. It seems the less time we spend with our children due to the demands of the outside world, the more we give into doing what they ask. At the end of a hard day, the last thing you want to deal with is a whining child who won’t eat her dinner.

However, you are your child’s greatest teacher and influence. Yes, we must lead by example, but we also must be the authoritative presence when it comes to nutrition. Studies show that children who eat a balanced diet sleep better, are more alert and attentive in school, get better grades, and have less behavioral issues. Ah, so that is for what we are fighting.

About Kellie

Kellie Davis is a graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University with a B.A. in English. She is now a freelance writer, contributor to the Olicious Life, and NPC figure competitor. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two young children.