The Action For Healthy Kids’  Mom’s Healthy Table blog is full of great ways to get your kids to eat healthier at home.The blog is written by three mommy dietitians that are on staff at AFHK.  Here are some of their suggestions:

1) Name of the food/meal – Having a creative name for your foods will make them more appealing for kids. Some examples are X-ray Vision Carrots, Super Strength Spinach, Super Tuna Noodles, Big Bad Bean Burrito. This makes it fun for the kids, so even try choosing the names of your meals together.
2) Appearance – Appearance is always the most important. We all know if it doesn’t look good, kids won’t eat it. So look to presentation as well, how the food is presented on the plate will matter. Be sure to arrange your meal using the MyPlate image, and ensuring that your plate is very colorful by filling half your plate with fruits and veggies. Add garnish as needed to jazz up the meal (slice of avocado or strawberries).
3) Flavor – Go easy on the salt. You really don’t need too much salt to add flavor, but can add other types of herbs or spices to accent the meal. Some kids prefer a more “bland” flavor, so offer any spices or sauces on the side to add as needed.
4) Texture – Texture also makes a big difference, especially if foods are over or under cooked. You also want to look at the types of textures that you have in your meal. Don’t just provide all soft foods (noodles, mashed potatoes, soft cooked carrots), but try alternating the textures to add more of a variety.
5) Adding more Fruits - We always want to offer whole fruits so that kids know what they are eating and grow accustomed to choosing a variety of fruits as a healthy snack. But serving fruits creatively by arranging them as mixed fruit or fruit art makes it more appealing to eat.

Click here for the full list of tips. 

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