by Shashi

Created on: October 10, 2007

Children have to get the necessary vitamins, proteins & minerals everyday to stay healthy. For that to happen they have to consume food from all food groups.

I have a few ideas to help make new food interesting.

1. When you introduce new vegetables to them, you can cut them in funny shapes and have them dip in ranch & eat it. Kids love dipping stuff..You can not only cut them in funny shapes but also arrange them on a plate in the form of a smiley face or one of their favorite cartoons. This makes it very interesting to them.

2. Many kids love eating noodles. You can make it nutritious by adding those new veggies finely sliced.

3. If your child loves pizza, you can try a veggie pizza with your new vegetables on that instead of going with a cheese pizza. I'm sure they will love it.

4. When you want to try new fruits, you can make a fruit salad with ice cream. Have more of their favorite fruit & less of the new fruit. That way, they will not see too much of a taste change.

5. You can also try a milk shake with a combination of new fruits and their favorite fruit. You can also add dry fruits & nuts in the milk shake to make it more nutritious and kids won't even notice.

6. Remember, do not force your child. Introducing them to new food should be fun and not frustrating to them. You will see a reverse affect by forcing food on them. They may throw up and all your effort goes waste.

7. One more advice..Introducing them to all kinds of food at a younger age works out better.

8. You cannot change or introduce new food at once. Do it slowly so the children can adapt themselves to the new food. Also some kids may be allergic to certain kinds of food. So, watch out.

9. There are some other tricks you can do to make food interesting to them. Place a cucumber or a tomato slice in between their favorite cracker. You will be surprised. They will enjoy eating it.

Healthy food is the right way to go. So, don't be scared to try new food on your child as long it is healthy. Eat healthy and stay healthy!

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