Find the Right Teaching Moments

Make your trips to the grocery or farmer's market an opportunity to teach your children about the benefits of eating a variety of vegetables and fruits. Largeman-Roth says, "I'll ask my kids, 'Why don't you pick out something purple today?' And, it can be something exotic like passion fruit or something in season, like eggplant. They can have a lot of fun with that, and because they picked it out, they will try it."

Get Your Kids to Taste the Rainbow

Most kids love to color, but they don't nearly get enough color in their meals! As a mother of a picky 4-year-old eater, Frances Largeman-Roth, author of Eating In Color, was inspired to teach her daughter how to get more vibrant, nutrient-dense foods, like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains, into her diet. "Her daycare class was immersing themselves in colors found in nature. I thought this was a great time to expand her palate and teach her about the benefits of adding more reds, oranges, and greens to her meals." Whether you're struggling to get your kids to finish the broccoli on their plate or want to learn how to prepare healthier meals for your family, follow these helpful tips.
 

Encourage Your Kids to Help with Prep Work

Children are more likely to eat the dishes they contribute to; they can help with washing vegetables and fruits, mixing batters, whisking eggs, and sprinkling cheese. They also like to make things that they can pick up with their hands. If your kids are a fan of pizza (whose aren't?!), Largeman-Roth's flavorful Caramelized Red Onion and Fig Pizza is the perfect family-friendly meal. Your kids will not only have fun preparing it, rolling the dough and adding the toppings, but they'll fall in love with its sweet and smoky taste. Best of all, they'll reap the benefits of figs, which deliver high amounts of anthocyanins, an antioxidant that helps fight inflammation and reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer.
 

Present Your Meals with Shapes and Colors

Small cookie cutters are great tools for making vegetables and fruits more appealing for children. "Kids are very visual and like interaction, so getting them to use small cookie cutters to make shapes with their foods is one way to get more color into their meals. I like to make happy faces with vegetable omelets, pancakes, and pizzas," says Largeman-Roth.
 

Have Healthy, Homemade Snacks at the Ready

They have snack time at school for a reason— children are usually ready for a snack every 2 to 3 hours. It's best to plan ahead and have healthy snacks ready to avoid munching on chips and cookies instead. Largeman-Roth's Ultimate Power Balls are sure to be a hit with kids and adults. These 86-calorie "truffles" are dairy- and nut-free and are made with semi-sweet chocolate chips, sunflower butter, shredded unsweetened coconut, and dried plums.
 

Introduce New Foods with Familiar Ones

Kids don't like big portions, so it's better to cut up veggies and put a tiny bit on their plate if you're introducing new foods. Make a breakfast pizza with a whole-grain waffle by topping it with part-skim ricotta cheese and cut-up pieces of kiwi, mango, and fresh berries. "You can also add some mustard greens into a frittata, or make a fruit tart that uses quinoa in the crust. The key is to introduce healthy foods in a familiar way and put them into dishes they already love," Largeman-Roth advises.

 

Use Herbs and Spices to Flavor Your Dishes

Don't be afraid to experiment with different spices and herbs; they not only enhance the tastes and textures of your dishes, but they introduce new flavor profiles to your family's palates. "Roasted vegetables with some spices and herbs make great additions to a pasta dish. You can make a delicious Green Goddess dip using fresh chives, tarragon, thyme, and cilantro, and fat-free plain Greek yogurt," Largeman-Roth says.
 

Share the Same Meal

In an ideal world, everyone would be eating the same meal: one that's low in fat, high in fiber, yet fun and palatable enough for kids. Largeman-Roth says the parents need to commit to healthy eating in order for the kids to be on board. "The parents have to play along with it too. My husband likes healthy food, but it has to taste good to him. So it's really about the parents conveying to their kids that family mealtime matters and that a shared meal is important."