Should I Force My Kids To Eat Only Healthy Foods?

February 1, 2009 -- Question: Should I force my kids to eat only healthy foods?

Answer: You really should never force your children to eat any particular foods. That just creates a lot of food fighting around the dinner table or around meal times. And you really want to avoid that if you want your children to eat healthy. But there are a few things you can do to help ensure that your kids are most likely to eat a healthy diet.

For one thing, be a good role model, because kids learn what they see. You may talk to your kids, but what you actually do, what you eat in front of them is going to talk more loudly than anything you say.

Another thing you can do is make sure that your food environment at home and your eating environment is healthy. Is it possible to really eat a healthy diet in your home? Ask yourself that question.

Do you stock enough healthy fruits and vegetables, enough healthy snacks. Do you prepare healthy meals, and do you give your kids a choice when it comes to snacks, among other healthy snacks.

Now you can't control what your kids are doing outside the home, but you can very definitely control what your kids do within the home, and that's where you really need to put your priority instead of forcing kids to eat certain foods and avoid or completely avoid other foods, it's better to just present them with a healthy diet, let them choose what they're going to eat and how much.