How to Make Healthy Eating Easy for Your Young Child

Planning a diet often comes down to the person for whom you're planning the healthy eating - a young child or older adult. For a youngster, diet is a critical component of his or her mental and physical development. Each child needs vitamins, nutrients and calories to grow, but they also need to eat healthy meals to build a strong foundation for the future.

It might be easy to crack open a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or zip into a local drive-through on your way home from the babysitter's, but these habits not only can lead to childhood obesity, but also malnutrition and major health problems over time.

Of course, for busy parents, it's not always easy to prepare healthy snacks or full meals. So, keep reading for some snack and meal ideas that are not only nutritious, but also simple and fast.

Pre-Cut Veggies

Prepare for your week by pre-slicing some veggies and fruit. Keep your sliced snacks in small-size Tupperware containers in the refrigerator. When your kids need a snack, reach for a pack of carrots, cucumbers or strawberries, rather than chips or cookies.

Stock Up Your Car

One of the biggest hurdles of healthy eating for a young child or children is in-the-car snacks and on-the-road eating. With a car full of hungry kids, parents are more easily swayed to pull into a fast food restaurant or grab a quick snack at the gas station.

Instead, keep your car well-stocked with healthy snacks that will remain fresh over a period of time. For example, include a few Ziploc bags of pumpkin seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, a favorite cereal or dried fruits handy. That way, when your kids are getting restless or hungry, you can offer them a snack that's simple and good for them.

Make Healthy Meals Fun

Don't bore youngsters with a piece of lean meat and a side of green peas. Instead, make your meals colorful and fun with orange sweet potatoes, bright red peppers or yellow squash.

Fresh is Best

Fresh, clean food is much better than frozen or overly-processed, pre-packaged meals. If you simply don't have the time to invest making your own meals from scratch, try purchasing meals that are either made right at the grocery store or opt for take-out options from restaurants that are committed to healthy eating and organic selections.

Ideally, if the ingredients list is longer than 10 items, you don't want to be feeding it to your child.

If the Kids Like It, Stick with It

Healthy eating for young children is sometimes hard - kids often don't want to try new things. So, if your child loves asparagus, then stick with it. Don't try to impose eggplant on them. Healthy eating isn't about forcing yourself and your child to eat foods they don't like - instead, it's about finding healthy foods that all of you love.