Healthy Family, Happy Family

Healthy Family, Happy Family by Karen Fischer Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Healthy Family, Happy Family by Karen Fischer Read Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Fischer
Tags: Health & Fitness/Food Content Guides
‘What does my child wish for and how will eating healthy foods help them get it?’ and then get creative. For example, if you have a child who loves to kick balls you can say, ‘Vegies can help you run fast and kick well so I’ve put a yummy carrot in your lunch box today.’ You can also link eating vegies to having fun because having fun is probably one of your child’s main goals. For example, ‘I’ve added zucchini with dinner to help you be strong and have fun at football practice tomorrow.’
    This has to be the most ethical and kind-hearted way to use marketing because you are inspiring your child to eat healthy, life-giving foods. You are forming positive habits that will serve your child well for the rest of their life. And you are telling them the truth. Studies show that vegetables and other healthy foods can reduce the risk of adulthood diseases and bone weakening, so they really do make your child’s body stronger. You are simply rewording this in a very basic and fun manner that your child can relate to. ‘What’s in it for me, Mum, when I eat my greens?’ Now put yourself in their shoes. ‘What’s in itfor them? What is a fun reason why they should eat their vegies?’ This is ideal to use for most age groups above eighteen months old—just phrase it in a manner to suit their comprehension and interests.
Must-do number 3
    Serve them something healthy then walk away. If you have a surly teenager it may be hard to talk to them about the mind-blowing benefits of eating broccoli. So you can try a different approach to begin with: if your child is interested in music, or books or a particular TV program, research the subject thoroughly and then talk with your child about it. Then when they seem happy and agreeable, serve them a healthy, vegie-rich dinner and then walk away.
    This is often the only way you can successfully converse with a moody adolescent. So talk to them about their latest pair of Converse, their Simpsons DVD collection or the Kings of Leon CD that takes pride of place on their messy desk. Then serve them that healthy stir-fry you’ve whipped up, and walk away. Your child, at first, may be wary of your new-found interest in them so be patient. Your goal is not only to feed them a stir-fry, you should also be interested in your child’s hobbies because they are your child’s hobbies. Because you want to develop a great relationship with them. If, initially, they don’t eat your food it does not matter. You do not need to always get a result or reward when talking with your child. Be interested and talk to them. Your undivided attention is one of many ways you can help your child to be healthy and happy. Talk to them in a fun, light-hearted manner about their school projects, team sports or favourite Wii game. Serve them a healthy meal and then walk away.
Must-do number 4
    Be persistent, and make a rewards chart. Studies reveal that a child may need to try a new food ten times before they get used to the new flavour. If your child hates broccoli, you can motivate them to eat it ten times by making a rewards chart. This chart is used to get them to rate the broccoli (and several other foods) out of ten, and they eat the foods ten times over the course of a couple of weeks. They can rate it 1 if it’s horrible tasting and up to 10 if they think the broccoli tastes okay. For example, Iloved to eat tuna for dinner but my daughter hated it. She also rejected tomato, porridge and silver beet (to name a frustrating few). So we put these foods onto a rewards chart and she was very keen to try them ten times in order to get the reward, which was a trip to the zoo. Before she had even finished the chart, she was eating tuna and salad sandwiches without complaint. She was asking for porridge for breakfast. She wasn’t spitting out curry and sulking about the spices. The more genuinely happy and surprised I was, the more proud and grown up she felt and this encouraged her to rate the foods

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