Often, parents are concerned that their child may not eat “healthy”, because they have specific food preferences and refuse to eat anything else. It’s important to empathize with your child’s preferences and meet them where they are. What if instead of changing the variety of food your child eats, you start by changing the quality of what they already enjoy?
For instance, let’s consider a scenario where your child only eats rice, chicken nuggets, carrots, and banana bread. You can explore ways to make those options as healthy as possible. First and foremost, preparing these foods at home gives you control over the ingredients, ensuring that you know exactly what goes into them. Even if you decide to follow a regular banana bread recipe, it will likely be better than the store-bought version as you can avoid adding preservatives, artificial colors, and flavors. Additionally, you can regulate the amount of sugar you include. You can also go further and look for a healthier banana bread recipe if you’d like.
Let’s take rice as an example. How can we ensure it’s as nutritious as possible? Consider purchasing organic sprouted rice if your budget allows. You can also soak the rice yourself, which reduces the amount of phytic acid. Phytic acid binds minerals and has an antinutritional effect. For soaking instructions specific to each grain, you can refer to the Weston Price website. When cooking rice, use bone broth or a mixture of water and bone broth to enhance its nutritional value. If bone broth isn’t available or you’re short on time, consider adding grass-fed ghee butter. This way, your child not only has rice but also receives the nutrients present in bone broth or ghee butter. By focusing on the quality of the food without drastically changing their preferences, you can make positive changes.
Meeting kids where they are and searching for solutions they are willing to accept will make your task much easier and more enjoyable. Try to find ways to learn with them, be creative and curious together and you might find a partner who enjoys this journey.
