Getting kids to eat well often proves challenging. We have a hard enough time learning to love healthy food ourselves. Laura McMullen, writing for US News, spoke with researcher Jennifer Orlet Fisher who found that social interaction plays a large role.
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The social aspect of eating is really important. One of the most powerful ways to create positive experiences around food is actually quite easy: Simply enjoy those foods in front of your child. Be enthusiastic about eating them. Other ways to help ensure that kids are making their own choices is to get them involved in food. There’s research coming out about various ways that kids can take a more active role, whether it’s helping to prepare meals, grow foods or pick vegetables. These activities can make healthy foods more appealing and less scary.
To that effect, we’ve previously suggested letting kids add a “secret ingredient” to make eating more fun. That can help add to the social aspects of mealtime.
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