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Teaching your kids to eat healthy food needn't be a drama. The key to success is leading by example and starting as you mean to go on. First solids should be pureed fruit or vegetables (greens included) and once first teeth appear cooked fruit and vegetable pieces can serve as finger food. Babies love to feed themselves and small pieces of soft, cooked green vegetables such as zucchini and broccoli are great finger foods.

Sitting at the table for planned, regular meals and snacks is a wonderful opportunity to lead by example. Children should have smaller portions with a balance of the food groups. The atmosphere at the dinner table should be relaxed, with opportunities to try new foods and explore the foods of different cultures. Eating should be a fun and positive learning experience.

Getting children involved in gardening and food preparation is a great way to connect them to the process of healthy eating. When they put the effort in they are keen to enjoy the outcome of their work. Planting a garden and tending to it gives the child a sense of fulfillment as they watch the seeds sprout, grow and produce. This gives real meaning to healthy eating and makes it a reward for their efforts.

Children also need to drink lots throughout the day to keep them well hydrated. Water should always be the first option, and milk the second. Fizzy drinks and juice should be kept for special occasions but this shouldn't be overtly stated. Simply make it normal practice not to have these items in the house. There can be no dispute if the items don't exist in your home environment.

When shopping at the supermarket with your children take a list and let them make choices within that list. For example; they can choose between apples and pears or brown bread and multigrain. Make both choices healthy, but let your child make the choice. Choices give the child a sense of control and ownership which makes them less likely to make unrealistic demands regarding unhealthy foods. Buying candy at the checkout can be tempting but this can be avoided by choosing the confectionery-free checkout and nominating an alternative treat before shopping like cherries or a fresh coconut.

Of course children will eat foods like sweets, chips and bought pizza at some stage. Making these foods a treat' can put them on a pedestal and make them more desired. Don't make an issue of these foods just don't keep them in the house. Children will follow your example and accept it as the norm. Children, who don't consume these foods on a regular basis, don't miss them.

There are lots of ways to encourage healthy eating for your children. Make food attractive after all we eat with our eyes first! Eat healthy foods yourself and make trying new foods an adventure. Give children a sense of control by encouraging them to be involved in the food preparation process. Don't make it an issue, make it fun!

Learn more about this author, Rachel Collier.
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