Forcing a child to eat something they don’t like may cause them to rebel, and may not achieve the goal of instilling healthy eating habits.

Here are some tips to help your child eat well:

Don’t buy ultra-processed foods.

Buy high-quality products: Label Rouge, MSC certified, AMAP, organic (not industrially produced, not imported from a country that does not conduct inspections), from the garden, etc.

Avoid giving your child foods they enjoy but shouldn’t eat in large quantities. Buy them in moderation: cakes, chips, cookies, fruit juice, etc. If your child eats everything at once, don’t buy more right away.

Whenever possible, cook at home using minimal sugar and whole foods. Adapt recipes to suit your child’s tastes. For example, bake your own cakes, brioches, cookies, bread, and “Nutella” using the recipes I offer on my website.

Buy enough foods from the bottom of the food pyramid that your child enjoys and place a sample prominently in a place where they can see and serve themselves. If they make a mess, ask them to help you clean up or clean it up yourself, but don’t create a conflict, as this may discourage them from serving themselves in the future. For example, fruits (whole or cut up) or nuts (peanuts, pistachios, etc.). Buy full-fat yogurts that your child likes and place them at their eye level in the fridge.

You can also decorate the child’s plate. For example, draw animals with fruits, make lines with a fork in the mashed potatoes, create a house out of cucumber, etc. You can also use cookie cutters to cut food into fun shapes and serve the scraps to the adults.

Let the child play with the food, making sure their hands are clean.

For dishes that need to be cooked, buy the ingredients to make what they like. For example, homemade chicken or pork nuggets, chipolatas, peas, mashed potatoes, whole wheat or spelt pasta, brown rice, bulgur, etc. If the child doesn’t like chunks, blend the food. For example, blend onions into a sauce. Adapt to their preferences.

And most importantly, encourage the child to take responsibility and let them make their own choices. Show them the food pyramid and explain that they need to follow it to stay healthy. Let them draw their own version with the foods they like and display it prominently on the fridge. If they eat unhealthily, remind them gently that they should follow the food pyramid. They’ll then choose their foods while considering it.

Involve them in cooking if they enjoy it. Cooking will encourage them to eat the dish.

Make mealtime a convivial occasion with the whole family, without screens.

Translated with DeepL and Ollama TranslateGemma