Guest Post: How To Have "Good Eaters"

The lovely Christie, from Home Grown, has kindly agreed to guest post for me today, which is a wonderful treat!

Christie is a gorgeous blogger that I have met through Aussie Mummy Bloggers. Her profile pic makes her look so serene, and indeed I like her blog for that exact same reason: it is serene. Enjoy!

Thanks for having me Lucy!

Mr. Home Grown and I often get the comment from friends and loved ones; "your children are such good eaters".

And this is not just when they are at parties gobbling all the chips and lollies from the food table.  Which they do. Every time, without fail.

No, these children are the type that (nearly) always eat their vegetables and meat and fish and whatever their Mummy (me) decides to serve them up.  I really feel blessed, but there is more to it.  We have worked at it and there are things you can do to improve your child's eating habits.

1. Let them make their own choices

My daughter is what I would call an "unadventurous eater".  She would eat Vegemite and cheese sandwiches for lunch every day if I let her.  If I put lettuce or cucumber on her sandwich, she will pick it off.  Here is how I get around this obstacle:  I give her a blank canvas, just two pieces of bread.  I make up little bowls of grated cheese, grated carrot, cucumber slices, lettuce and tomatoes.  Then I pop the bowls in front of her and tell her she's free to create her own sandwich.  Well lo and behold, she puts something from EVERY bowl on her sandwich and eats it with delight!

2. Have a vegetable patch

Our little ones eat broad beans like they are jelly beans.  But only if they pick them off the vine themselves.  I have tried cooking them up in various dishes to no avail.  They love searching the garden for ripe tomatoes, snow peas, even florets of broccoli.  Who cares if they are eating them in the backyard and not on the dinner plate? They are eating them, they are getting the antioxidants and vitamins and they are developing a taste for them.

3. Lead by example or as Mahatma Gandhi says "Be the change you want to see in the world"

If you are not eating healthy items and being seen to enjoy them, neither will your children.  Mr. HG and I will often walk around with a carrot, munching away, or grab an apple as a snack and our children do the same.


4. Don't give them unhealthy options

Your children wont starve themselves.  If there are no unhealthy foods, they simply have to choose a healthy one.  If one of my children are unwilling to try a new food or eat what is served up, that is their choice.  But they do not get given an alternative to "fill them up".  

Basically, make food fun for them, if you like, "dare" them to try something new and don't give up.  Just because they wont eat something once doesn't mean they always wont. 

Good luck!

You can find a lot more of the lovely Christie, at Home Grown