Healthy nutrition for children is a diet containing a variety of foods with all the nutrients they need to grow and develop. This is usually easier said than done because children, especially the youngest, often don't want to eat the healthy foods we want them to. But following are some tips that may help.

The foundation of a healthy diet

Establishing a healthy diet for your family is one  of the best things you can do for the future of your children. If you manage to get them to like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats and fish, dairy products, you will have won 80% of the battle.

These foods must be the foundation of all your meals. They can have precooked meals, sweets, sodas with sugar and so on, but it is important that your children understand that these are an exception and only reserved for special occasions, celebrations, holidays or when the family eats out. If your child sees that you eat healthy foods regularly, sooner or later your child will try to do the same.

A strategy for every age

Offer your baby in his first months of life creamed or mashed foods and gradually introduce solid foods in little pieces so your baby can chew them without choking. But even if he rejects the food multiple times, keep offering it to him. Some studies show that a child rejects a food up to eight times before trying it (as in Dr. Seuss's story "Green Eggs and Ham”).

Have older children participate in the process of preparing family meals. Take your child along to the supermarket and choose fruits and vegetables that he might like to eat, and cook some dishes together. Allow him to be creative and invent some. This will make him more likely to want to try certain foods.

For all ages

It doesn't matter what age your child is, don't keep sodas at home. Reserve sodas for very special occasions. Every sugared soda has from 10 to 12 spoonfuls of sugar and every additional soda multiplies the amount of sugar he eats.  Try to also avoid drinking boxed juices, especially those loaded with sugar. Instead, drink natural juices.

One of the meals you must insist upon is breakfast. Your child will benefit from having a nutritious breakfast and it will improve his performance greatly at school. Also by packing him a nutritious mid morning snack, like a fruit or a whole-wheat sandwich, you will be providing him with all the beneficial nutrients he needs and energy to enable him to perform better at school.

And above all, be patient and of good cheer. Think that teaching them to eat healthily is another educational task like potty-training or letter-writing. Don't turn meals into a battlefield and make them as fun as possible so that family meals are something children will look forward to.