How to Sneak Nutrition Into a Child's Food

When it comes to nutrition, parents and children don't always see eye to eye. In fact, most parents struggle with getting their kids to eat properly at some time or another. If you're looking for ways to sneak nutrition into your children's food and improve their diet, there are some tricks to the trade. Some are just a bit stealthy, while others are downright sneaky.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Offer them the chance to dip. Kids can't resist the urge to dip their food. You can take advantage of this phenomenon by offering your child healthy items to dip into dressings, ketchup or even honey mustard. Many a carrot stick is eaten once it's dipped in a cup of ranch dressing.
2. Shake it up. You may be surprised at what you can get a kid to eat if it's disguised as a milkshake. Create some yummy fruit smoothies packed full of fruits and vegetables, and watch them slurp their nutrition through a straw.
3. Hide nutritious items. Putting finely chopped vegetables into bread mixes, meatballs and sauces is a time-honored parent trick. They won't know that they're getting a full serving of carrots with their spaghetti.
4. Cover it with cheese. Cheese and broccoli go together so well that many adults won't even touch the green stuff unless there's a spoonful of cheese sauce on top. So offer up some cheese on your child's vegetables and watch them disappear.
5. Let them help you in the kitchen. You can sneak nutrition into a child's food easier, if he's the one preparing the meal. Give him the recipe and then help him put the ingredients together. He'll be more likely to eat it because he made it himself, even if it has peas in it.

Tips & Warnings

• Lead by example. If you eat your veggies, so will your kids.