5 Sneaky Ways to Make Healthier Meals for Kids

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Healthier meals for kids and teens have never been more important if you go by modern obesity statistics. So, if your kids are fussy, here are some ways you can sneak some extra goodness.

Add Some Protein Powder

Protein is important when you want to get fitter because it produces amino acids for muscle repair. However, it is also essential when we are younger to ensure we grow properly. Yet, it can be challenging to get kids to eat protein-rich foods since they are often foods we develop our tastes for over time. But you can try family-favorite recipes. For example, see iFoodReal for tips on how to make protein waffles bursting with the goodness your kids will love.

Put Some Veggies in their Fruit Smoothies

Before we become adults, our tongues have about 30,000 taste buds. As we get older, this number goes down. But a decent smoothie can make even the worst vegetables taste good to kids. So you can sneak in a little more good stuff. Try blending strong-tasting but healthy foods like kale, celery, and broccoli with banana, blueberry, and vanilla to make smoothies. There are a lot of important minerals (zinc and potassium) and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K in these.

Make Healthier Meals for Kids with Bribes

Kids love getting a treat when they do a good job. And there’s nothing wrong with giving some good feedback. With a sort of reward chart, you can get your kids to take their supplements and eat their vegetables. Make a chart and give them a star or something similar for every day they eat vegetables or take their vitamins. This can help you save up for a reward, like more time on the computer. This makes taking supplements a good thing for kids to do that they will enjoy.

Switch from Pop to Vitamin C Juices

Serve fruit juice drinks with every meal to make sure your kids are getting enough vitamins and minerals. This is meant to replace unhealthy sugary sodas. But you should also know that some fruit drinks made for kids also have a lot of sugar. So make sure you serve 100% fruit juices. Also, watch out for the acid level, which can hurt young teeth. Pineapple, blueberries, and mango are all good examples of foods that are high in vitamins and low in harmful acids.

Get Them Involved in the Kitchen

Having the kids help with anything is always a good idea. When kids help make meals, they are a lot more likely to eat what they have made, if only out of pure curiosity. But it’s also because they know more about it and feel more connected to it. You also get to spend precious time with your kids and get them to eat dishes that are full of vitamins. You can also use this time to educate them about vitamins and nutrients and making healthy choices about what they eat.

Summary

As a responsible parent, you can make healthier meals for kids at home. Try adding protein powder to family favorites, reward them for healthy choices, and enlist some help in the kitchen.