Get Children Excited About Healthy Food

At times it can be extremely difficult to get our children to eat the healthy nutritious foods that they need in order to stay healthy and to grow. So what our options? Often parents take one of two routes: they either punish their children for not eating their food or they reward their children for eating their food. Undoubtedly reward is a much better, and in the long run, easier option to take. But how do we consistently get our children to want to eat the foods that are good for them in a way that rewards them? The answer is to get them involved in the food preparation process.
Keep your child involved in all steps of the food process and let them take a little ownership of the project with your guidance. Your aim should be to make them care about and value what they eat. The best way to do this is to get them involved. 
Food Selection: Provide them with a couple of options for the meal of the day and let them choose. Involve them in the shopping process and let them grab the food off the shelf. Make this a very interactive activity.
Food Preparation: Allow them to help in the cooking and preparation process as much as possible. Make them feel like this is their creation. Find ways to make this fun for them.
The Meal: Have them help serve the meal. Give them credit for what they have done to help you in making the food.
The goal of this approach is to show them the value of their work and to make them feel good about what they have created. Involving them in the food making process helps them care about the meal and makes it more desirable to eat.

This post was written on behalf of ConAgra Foods and Chef Boyardee. For forzen meals or meals for a banquet visit the Conagra website.