How to help children (and parents) with healthy eating during the summer months

When the last school bell rings, it signals the start of summer recess. While many kids consider this a joyous and carefree season, it can be a stressful time for some parents—who now face the challenge to prepare a full schedule of foods that their kids will want to eat. The solution? Involve kids in the process. Involving kids of all ages in the food selection, shopping, and cooking process is a good way to get them interested in their own healthy food choices and eating itself.

“Research shows kids are more likely to eat healthy foods, try new foods, and develop life-long healthy eating habits when participating in meal planning and preparation. As a bonus, shopping and cooking may even support children’s math and science skills,” says Lisa-Beth Doyle MS, RD, LDN at Mass General Brigham Health Plan. “If healthy eating can be made both entertaining and nutritious, it becomes a win/win for parents and kids,” she added.

To get kids started eating well, involve them in the shopping and food preparation. Here are some tips that Doyle and other experts say are proven to work:

• Take advantage of the bounty of high-quality summer produce to encourage kids to try healthy and delicious foods.
• Most children don’t eat enough vegetables. Let your child choose a vegetable to purchase at the store or farmer’s market. If you’re not sure how to cook it, take the opportunity to explore online for a healthy recipe to make with your child. Then, work together to make a shopping list.
• Give kids age-appropriate tasks. Young children may be able to help with rinsing produce and/or adding ingredients to a mixing bowl. Older children may be able to start using the vegetable peeler, cracking eggs, and cutting vegetables. When children start to read, they can help follow recipes and measure ingredients. Remember to always supervise your child when cooking.
• Engage their senses! How do the foods look, feel, smell, and taste?
• Teach the four steps to safe food preparation and storage to prevent foodborne illness, aka food poisoning .
  1. Clean: Wash hands, surfaces, and utensils before, during, and after handling food.
  2. Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and eggs separate from fruits and vegetables and other ready-to-eat foods at the store and in your kitchen. Never place cooked or ready-to-eat foods on unwashed surfaces that once held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.
  3. Cook: Cook foods to a safe internal temperature. Use a kitchen thermometer to check internal food temperature.
  4. Chill: Refrigerate or freeze foods to 40 degrees F or below within two hours of purchase or cooking. If the temperature is above 90 degrees F, refrigerate or freeze within one hour. Bacteria that cause food poisoning grow quickly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees.

Healthy eating helps your child feel good, have energy, and learn lifelong healthy habits.

Meal planning is essential to a healthy diet for adults and kids. Here we offer some tips to build a meal and snack schedule that works for everyone:

1. Set up a regular snack and meal schedule.
2. Find at least one food from each food group that your child likes.
3. Provide a healthy breakfast.
4. Eat as a family as often as possible.
5. Limit junk food.
6. Let hunger, not rules or pleading or bargaining, determine what and how much your child eats.
7. Don’t use food as a reward or a punishment.

Tips for picky toddlers

Toddlers are notoriously fussy eaters. They may only eat a few foods and then abruptly refuse them. They also have quickly changing appetites. So, model good nutrition for your children. If you eat less nutritious foods but try to withhold them from your toddler, the child will learn that they are desirable. Limiting the amount of fruit juice you give your child is also a good idea. Four ounces (1/2 cup) daily is a good limit for toddlers. Another tip: plan ahead. A little planning can help you prevent mealtime battles.

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