I’ve been thinking about what food-superpowers PARENTS need – to keep your kids eating! Here are some of my favorite tips to keep you experimenting, and making every meal your adventure!
You have control! Well… you have some control. Try these and let us know how it goes!
- Food Guru! You can be your own food guru by showing how much you enjoy eating good foods. Try to say how tasty your veggies are or how crunchy an apple is when you bite it. This positive modelling has been shown to really inspire kids, to try new things and find their own enjoyment[1].
- Dipping Tricks! A nice snack to get kids eating more veggies is to slice them up and provide healthy dips for their super-power food-fun. Try the Ollie’s Super Duper Dip below – or buy a variety of healthy dips like guacamole, tzatziki and hummus. Even yogurt works well.
- Plan family meals. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with everyone’s day! At our dinner table we love asking, “What was your best moment today? You’ll be surprised and delighted by the answers. If they can’t speak yet, tell them what your best moment was. This helps them understand that mealtimes are social times.[2]
- Playful Times. While toys at the table distract kids, food can be an object of fun. Their favorite dessert, like a flavored yogurt, can start at the end of the table and move a step closer with each mouthful of their healthy main course. If you time it right, it can arrive at their plate as they finish. It’s a playful way of making a meal fun and maximizing giggles at the table.
- Praise! This is tried and tested! If you give children positive and specific feedback about good, healthy eating, they are more likely to repeat this positive behavior. Make the praise specific, not general. Think“Wow, great carrot eating” rather than “Good boy or girl”.[3]
Tip – Eat with your kids when you can – they’ll learn that eating is social and fun, and you can lead by example[4].
Dip and Nibble Recipe – Veggie sticks dipped in hummus or natural yogurt mixed with pesto is a quick food to get onto the table when your kids can’t wait another second. Ollie’s Super Duper Dip recipe, featured in Ollie’s Favorite Recipe book, is a fun-to-make dip that’s perfect for a quick turnaround to feed your hangry small people.
Ollie’s Super Duper Dip – Greek Style Cucumber Dip
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 small container of Greek style yogurt
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- Bread sticks, carrot sticks, apple pieces or grapes for dipping
Method:
Get grating! Grate 1/2 cucumber, squeeze and drain out any excess juice and pop into a bowl. Mash it all together. Next, add in Greek style yogurt, a crushed garlic clove and a pinch of pepper, cover and pop in the fridge to chill. Serve with breadsticks, carrot sticks or apple pieces for dipping.
Make it together!
Children can help mixing up the yogurt, with help grating the cucumber or putting the veggies and fruit slices on a plate.
Neat cheats
A super quick dip, simply try a bowl with thick, full fat yogurt and slice up fruit like apples, banana slices or grapes. Grape halves are good sizes for little hands. You can download our printable Ollie-Pop Grapes and make your own silly faces.
Printable coloring sheet: Ollie & Me: Ollie-Pop Grapes!
Click here to download printable PDF
Share your PARENT superpowers with us and win a signed copy of the storybook Ollie: The Boy Who Became What He Ate! Join our conversation using #ollieclub on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Making every meal an adventure.
Messy fun! Sheena x
[1] [HOW TO GET CHILDREN TO EAT VEGETABLES]↩
[2] [Family correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption in children and adolescents: a systematic review.]↩
[3] [Changing children’s eating behaviour – A review of experimental research]↩
[4] [A Conceptual Framework for the Expansion of Behavioral Interventions for Youth Obesity: A Family-Based Mindful Eating Approach]↩