It's no secret that children can be fussy eaters. But it's important to teach the kids the importance of healthy eating habits so here's some tips from our MadeFrom family to yours:

1. Lead by Example

Children are heavily influenced by their environment so ensure you maintain a varied and healthy lifestyle yourself. Sharing meals together is a great way to bond as a family and you can use this opportunity to model healthy eating habits to your children.

2. Positive Food Associations

Discourage using labels that describe certain foods as "bad" or "fattening" or criticising your own or other people's bodies. The focus should not be on what foods to avoid, instead talk about what foods we should eat more of and what foods we should eat in moderation to maintain a "balanced diet".

3. Variety and excitement

Boiled carrots and broccoli are hopefully a thing of the past. Kids love their food to taste as good as ours, so stir frying vegetables, adding baby spinach into a creamy pasta or turning zucchinis into noodles with a spiralizer are fun ways to get the kids interested in vegetables. Lastly, try and expose your children to a variety of food and different cuisines from a very young age.

4. Get kids involved

Involving kids in the preparation of dinner or baking snacks is a great way for them to learn about the ingredients that go into each meal. Kids also love a trip to a farm to see where, and how, food is produced. Better yet, grow your own fruit and vegetables (even if it's just on your balcony!). Your kids will feel immense joy knowing they are eating their own produce.

5. Giving them control

Kids love the ability to choose, even if there are limited options available. The choice might be picking 2 vegetables out of 4, or choosing which recipe to cook for dinner. To make this easier, try to limit the amount of highly processed in your pantry, and give them healthier options to pick from at home.

Conclusion: Teaching children how to eat healthily is an important part of parenting, but it doesn't have to be boring! With a little creativity and some interactive activities, you can make sure your kids understand why healthy eating habits are important while also having fun along the way. Hopefully these tips will inspire you as you work together with your children on developing positive eating habits that will last throughout their lives!