| If you are a parent, you're probably all-too-familiar | | | | can't get your child to eat healthy foods, try |
| with hearing "eww!" ick!" "I don't like it!" and "That's | | | | offering healthy dips to go with it and you might |
| gross!" coming out of your child's mouth. In fact, | | | | be surprised at how quickly they change their |
| getting a child to eat health food can sometimes | | | | minds. |
| be as hard as getting a parking space that three | | | | #4 - Put It in an Ice Cream Cone |
| other cars are waiting for. If you're tired of your | | | | A woman we know of had made a wonderful |
| child's dietary battles turning into tactical missions | | | | fresh-fruit salad for a party and her grandson |
| and survival-of-the-fittest lessons (or survival of | | | | wouldn't touch it. If there's one thing grandma's |
| the most stubborn), we've got six sneaky ways | | | | like, it's watching they're grandchildren eat healthy |
| for you to trick your child into eating health food | | | | foods so she was bound and determined to get |
| that you're absolutely going to love. | | | | some of the fruit salad into him. She came up |
| #1 - Carrot Cupcakes | | | | with the idea of putting the fruit salad in an |
| Show me a child who doesn't love cupcakes and | | | | ice-cream cone and suddenly fruit salad was the |
| I'll show you a dog that doesn't like bones. I've | | | | best thing ever and all the kids wanted it. Since |
| known hundreds of children in my lifetime and I | | | | then people who witnessed the success at the |
| cannot remember a single one of them not liking | | | | party have tried the ice-cream cone technique |
| cupcakes. That's what I call an opportunity. | | | | with cottage cheese and even tuna salad and it |
| We all know cupcakes aren't healthy. Chocolate or | | | | hasn't failed yet. If it's in an ice-cream cone, |
| white cake and a bunch of sugary frosting on top | | | | chances are kids will eat it. |
| equates to nothing more than empty calories and | | | | #5 - Ovaltine Please |
| a huge sugar rush. But what if you make | | | | If you know what Ovaltine is or if you already |
| cupcakes out of carrot cake? Or even zucchini or | | | | have Ovaltine in the house, that's great. If you |
| banana bread? All you have to do then is create a | | | | don't, you're about to fall in love with a good, |
| cream-cheese frosting (lightly sweetened of | | | | old-fashioned wholesome product. |
| course) and you've got a cupcake that's healthy | | | | There are thousands upon thousands of children |
| and that kids can't resist. | | | | who just don't like the taste of milk. However, |
| #2 - Fruit Smoothies | | | | when Ovaltine is mixed into it, many of them |
| Some parents, no matter how hard they try, just | | | | can't get enough. Ovaltine makes milk taste |
| can't get their children to eat fresh fruit. It may | | | | somewhat like chocolate milk, but more |
| be the texture or the taste, but whatever it is, | | | | malt-flavored. Even though the stuff tastes great, |
| getting them to eat fruit is like getting a | | | | it's actually quite healthy. Ovaltine is full of vitamins |
| vegetarian to try steak - it just isn't going to | | | | and minerals and it's fat free and cholesterol free. |
| happen. | | | | Just add it to low-fat milk and you've got healthy |
| One day a friend of mine was drinking a fruit | | | | chocolate milk for your kids. |
| smoothie she had picked up at the local juice bar | | | | #6 - Make It Pretty |
| and her son asked her if he could have a sip of | | | | The visual presentation of food has a big impact |
| her "shake." My friend didn't bother to correct her | | | | on how kids perceive it. Throw some plain low-fat, |
| son. She simply gave him the cup and let him | | | | all-natural yogurt in a plastic bowl with a spoon |
| take a swallow. Guess what? He loved it! Since | | | | and they'll probably turn their noses up at it. |
| then they've been making their own healthy fruit | | | | However, if you put it in a parfait cup with a |
| smoothies at home and he's getting wholesome | | | | sprinkling of granola or a few berries on top and |
| fruit on a regular basis. | | | | serve it with a fancy spoon, it may be an entirely |
| #3 - Dip It | | | | different story. The same goes for healthy drinks. |
| For some reason (I have yet to figure this one | | | | Serve fresh juice or milk with an interesting straw |
| out), children seem to accept healthy food easier | | | | and kids will be much more likely to drink it. |
| if they can dip it. Offer a little girl a whole carrot | | | | While deception and trickery isn't something we |
| and she'll look at you like you've grown a third | | | | should often use when dealing with our children, in |
| eye. Offer her cut-up carrot sticks with low-fat | | | | the case of sneaking health foods into their diets, |
| vegetable dip and she's in seventh heaven. If you | | | | I think it'll work out just fine. |