Healthy Eating for Children

Although your children may seem set in their ways, science tells us that we can help them to create new habits. Within the field of neuroscience is a concept called Neuroplasticity that tells us that the brain is not hard-wired, but is dynamic and adaptable and changes in response to different stimuli. This is true of adult brains but works to an even greater degree in children's brains. Neuroplasticity tells us that new activities can easily create new neural pathways in the brain, especially in childhood. The more frequently we use these pathways, the stronger they become. How does this translate to our children's food habits? The more we expose our children to new healthy food experiences, the more new neural pathways we are creating. Then, the more we repeat these foods, the more those pathways become strengthened, adapting the brain to accepting healthy ways of eating. Of course, the opposite also applies when we introduce our children to new unhealthy foods and practice feeding them those.

Following is a presentation of tips that could help you encourage your child to eat plant foods. You may have to sometimes resort to trickery and deception at first, but with time, as your child grows used to the flavours and textures, you will need less and less effort. Each child has a unique personality, so you will need to figure out which of these tips will apply to your individual children. Moreover, children change rapidly, and your tricks may need to change with them.