How to train children in ‘healthy eating’

Those who have children are well aware that during the first two to three years of life, the child changes faster than ever before. In science, this unique window of time in a person's life - i.e. the period between conception and approximately the third year of life – is called ‘window of opportunity’. This is because during the period of the first 1000 days or so, the brain develops rapidly and thus exhibits enormous plasticity. This brain plasticity enables children to learn an enormous amount within a very short time, such as crawling, sitting, walking and finally speaking.

Conversely, this means: Never again can a child be so strongly influenced and shaped as in this unique time-frame. One more reason for parents to look into the imprinting of their own children. But even if we missed this unique phase, we should not bury our heads in the sand. Also slightly older children from the age of 4 up to the teenage years learn a lot from their parents. In the lower sections we will deal with a sub-field of imprinting, the so-called food imprinting. We will look into the following question and give practical advice: How can we influence our children in such a way that they become ‘health conscious’ their whole lives, i.e. choosing the healthier option each time?

Useful advices for parents

1) Set a good example

Children are world champions in imitating their parents, because this is how they learn most things. So it makes sense how important it is for parents to set a living example to their children by eating healthy food themselves.

2) Enjoy shared meals

Having regular family meals offers double benefits: On one hand, parents decide what’s served, and on the other, the conversations can be used to teach children about the benefits of individual foods. It’s particularly effective to tell a positive story about the healthy components of the meal. These can be realistic "stories," for example: "Carrots help you see better because they contain a precursor of vitamin A," or slightly more playful: "A Müesli for breakfast is tasty and healthy because the oats help clean our intestines of bad bacteria."

3) Create a healthy environment

At home, children can only eat what’s in the fridge or pantry. For parents, this means a healthy foundation starts when shopping. Ideally, go shopping without the children at first, as supermarkets offer many tempting distractions for them. When shopping with children, you can guide them by avoiding certain aisles.

4) Combine healthy eating with enjoyment

Parents often reward their children with sweets. Why not flip the script? Delicious raw vegetables cut into fun shapes, like a carrot crown or a cucumber throne, taste just as good. Add a story about a king or princess, and they become even more appealing.

5) Cook with children

This leads to the next tip: involve children in the cooking process. This way, children learn playfully what they can create with healthy ingredients.

6) Create birthday-parties using healthy food

Of course, a tasty birthday cake should not be missing. How much sugar it contains and what ingredients it is made of can be easily influenced by us. Meanwhile, there are many ‘delicious’ recipes with little sugar and fine fruits or vegetables as main ingredients. How about a juicy zucchini cake in a green Shrek look? Or else, apple-rose muffins for Sleeping Beauty? If parents also tell a lovely story when serving the cake, it will be associated with good food for a lifetime. You can find good and at the same time healthy recipes based on our two Kids Crunch crunchy Müeslis, inspired by beaver Bobby and squirrel Elly here.