Is your child a fussy eater? Yes? Don’t worry, you are not the only one facing the problem. It is in fact a difficult task to teach how to cultivate good eating habits especially among young children. This article will talk about the best diet ideas for children, which will not only encourage them to eat tasty foods but also satisfy your keenness to cultivate healthy and nutritious food habits.

Fruits: Your child is no longer a baby, you can’t fool him off with your stories anymore. Children of this age like independence and hate forceful attitude. So give them healthy choices. Ask him to have fruit or fruit salad. Sometimes add a bit of cream as incentive. Do not add extra sugar in whatever snacks you give to your child.
 

Sandwiches: Children are fond of bread sandwiches and so you can create nutritionally balanced food by including all nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Cut them into fancy and attractive shapes. Use brown bread or whole wheat bread as a healthier option. You can also alternate it with vegetable patties, vegetable or egg omeletes.  

Fats: Unlike adults, children need both types of fats - omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The former can be received from tuna, salmon, sesame seeds, nuts, sardines, while avocado, sunflower seeds, corn and almonds are rich in omega-6.

Vegetables: Children are often not a great fan of vegetables, especially green leafy ones. Hence, giving carrots raw is a better option than giving them cooked ones. Use fresh snap peas instead of cooked peas. Mix little cherry tomatoes with fresh pineapple spears or raspberries or honeydew melon.
 

Drinks: Instead of giving aerated drinks, coffee and tea, offer them fruit juices, flavored milk and squash etc. If your child doesn’t want to drink milk, let it be the way he wants – try other dairy products like cheese, yogurt etc.

Avoid Fried stuff: Use baking method of cooking instead of frying even in moderate quantities of oil. Roast or bake a potato instead of offering your child French Fries. However, you cannot completely stop giving him his favorite foods. Once a while, let him have fries, biscuits, chocolates or chips – but only in moderate quantities.

Iron-rich foods: Include lots of iron-rich foods in your child’s daily diet as poor eating habits can lead to iron deficiency. Watermelon, meat, peanut butter and raisins are some of the foods that are rich in iron. Vegetables like spinach and seasoning like coriander leaves are also rich in iron. However, raisins must be used only in moderate quantities as it can cause dental problems.

Through abovementioned tips and ideas, you can turn your young finicky eaters into regular timers!

Image Credit:  drugs-health greenandcleanmom; rachelwillis1982