
How to Encourage Healthy Eating in Kids

One of the more difficult parts of raising healthy kids is feeding them nutritious food. Of 
course they want more cake and candy, they don’t want their broccoli, and they have no 
idea why a balanced meal is to vital. But don’t give up; there are lots of easy ways to 
encourage them to eat healthier.

Get the Kids Involved in the Cooking Process

If you are having trouble getting your kids to eat healthy meals or snacks, why not let 
them participate in the prep or cooking process? Kids are very hands-on, so when they 
see what goes into preparing meals, they often want to eat what they helped make. You 
can even get their help picking recipes and take them to the store with you. When you 
get home, do meal prep together and let them stir or do safe things in the kitchen. This 
might depend on their ages and skill levels. You are bound to have your kids more 
interested in their food when they know they helped.

Send Your Kids With Healthy Snacks

When your kids go to school, that is when a lot of the unhealthy eating takes place. 
Cafeteria lunches are not the best options, so try to pack their lunch each day, but try to 
make it fun. For snack time, don’t send your kids with money for the vending machines. 
Instead, pack some really yummy and healthy snacks that would actually look forward 
to eating, like fruit cut into fun shapes, or veggie kabobs. 

Try to Make a Game Out of Eating Healthy

While at home, you can turn your healthy eating into a game for the younger kids or 
when one of your kids is a little more stubborn about eating certain foods. This can also 
turn into a learning experience. If one of your kids is learning basic math in school, get 
out some slices of fruit and practice adding and subtracting with it. Your child has now 
learned basic math, and is also eating the fruit when they’re done with the lesson. This 
is a major win-win!

Allow the Occasional Treat

Following a healthy diet doesn’t mean never having anything that is a ‘treat’. By 
completely denying all treats, your kids might have that rebellious nature and want to 
pig out when they do get one of their favorite things. However, if you offer the 
occasional bowl of ice cream or piece of pie after dinner, they are more inclined to eat 
healthy so they get their treat.



