How can I get a 6 year old to eat healthier? HELP!!?

My husband has a 6 year old daughter whom we see every other weekend. The problem is that she eats nothing but chicken nuggets and fries. She won't eat anything else....period. Let me restate that for emphasis........she won't eat anything but chicken nuggets and fries. Oh, I forgot...she will eat sweets and chips. She won't even try anything else. And my husband feels that because he only sees her every other weekend that there's no point in trying to get her to eat better because he feels he can't make much of an impact. He says that his ex-wife is also an extremely picky eater. She pretty much only ate chicken as well when they were married. I hate to see this child eating so poorly, but what can I do? She's only 6 and I bet she already has elevated cholesterol levels. Did I mention that her stomach hurts all the time? Mine would too if I consumed that much junk. HELP!!

Answers:
This is a long answer but a comprehensive one that may help. I spent over two hours on it.

So I hope you will read it as I feel it has some good suggestions.

1. read children's story books (both fiction and nonfiction) about nutrition and individual healthy foods...there are so many. Make it a warm time and talk about it when you read it..interrupt the book to ask questions..."do you think that apple taste crunchy and sweet or sour and salty? What do you think his mother said when he ate all those pancakes..do you think that that stone soup was a good idea, how many purple fruits can you name, etc

2. Have her cook with you or even entirely make stuff. Make it a fun time and

have a tea party,

a picnic--backyard, park or lake or if she eats it we will go there today

eat under the table with a sheet over it like a tent,

do a eat as you go savenger hunt with food that must be eaten to get the next clue and have a nice treat at the end,

dance to a cd and sit down and eat two grapes, jump up and down 4 times and sit down and eat apple slice,

do a simon says and incorporate eating little bites of healthy stuff in it

do relays, run down and eat the food and run back and time it..

or something like that to make it fun , etc.and eat what she makes or helps with make..

kids like to make little fruit pies..m,y mom used to make little pumpkin pies and cut out the shape of a pumpkin from the crust and bake it..I loved those little pies...and they created warm memory of mom

stress how good the food she makes tastes, how pretty it looks and what a good cook she is and how you would like to try a whole bunch or different things to see how well she cooks them and how yummy they are. (also incorporate other learning into the cooking-geography, measuring, math, social studies, nutrition, etc

Make the food fun like making deviled egg sailboats by coloring little paper sails attasched too toothpicks or celery car with carrot slice wheel (atttach w/toothpick) stuffed with organixc peanut butter with raison passengers, cutting whole grain bread into fun shapes, etc

3. Go on game excursions at the store...how many red fruits can you find..which fruits are shaped like a circle..how many long veggies can you find..which is a better choice for your-- this box of frosted flakes or cheerios...which of these 3 things are a food God made..do this veggie grow under the ground or below it? etc.

4. Go on field trips to farmer's markets, you pick 'em farms, (being sure to taste the food you pick), dairy farms. health food coops, ethnic restaurants, etc

Read stories and have her draw pictures related to the theme before going on the field trip..talk about nutrition on an age appropriate level afterwards.

5. Activately teach about nutrition. I highly highly recommend the book in the source..it is loaded with all kinds of fun things about foods..songs against junk foods, little rhymes, art projects, games,---oh so much I can't express it.

I had a month long very comprehensive lessons plan incorporating all types of activities etc and crossing about 20 subjects areas (anthropology, history, math, etc) for my 2nd grade and kindergarten classes. I headed it under the four food groups and brought in lots of samples for tasting and displays...check out books about nutrition both kids and for adults on nutrtion (to increase your own knowledge) and on how to change kids eating, deal with picky eaters, etc. Do searches on the internet.

6. Talk about food companies exploitation and food for profit and the cruelty of factory farming of chicken. If she is sensitive or an animal lover, this may break her fascination with chicken.

Use only free-range (organic) chicken (saying why it's better)and make your own nuggets using olive oil and whole wheat flour and make homemade fries or sweeet potato fries baked in the oven with olive oil. Use organic chocolate, dried fruit (and nuts) since she likes sweets and buy health food chips if all fails.

If possible take a trip to a little farmer who let’s his chickens roam and eat natural grains..and contrast it with the conditions of factory farms like Buckeye farms in Ohio..even showing here some of the awful pictures if you think she can handle it or just crowded condition smashed in cages with no light or freedom.
Talk about how the food companies expolit the chicken and are cruel because aoll they think about is mmoney contrast that with chickens raised organically and free range like the Amish do , for example..

7. Model healthy choices, stocking your home with health food store type products and modeling healthy food choices when eating out. Tell her why you eat this way and gives reasons like I like to have a lot of pep, I like my skin to be smooth, I like to be a good weight so I am not made fun of, I don’t like to buy food from companies who put poison chemicals in kids foods or make them not as smart and things like that. Do not eat crappy food in front of her ever. (Do it on the sly if you must).

8. Talk about God and the food He made and that they are the ones He wants us to eat. Ask how do you think God likes it when the big companies make drinks like pep-I that rot kid’s teeth, etc

Talk about what cavemen ate and how a lot of people don’t know the truth about food and so they eat it and how companies trick you and make the food taste really good and don’t care if you get sick as long as they make money.

9. Show healthy substitutes for junky foods and always teach better eating. even if you are unsuccessful, she is learning and it is in her young mind for future reference.

10.piggyback healthy foods in and sneak them in other foods.

11. Praise the slightest step in the right direction, the smallest taste with verbal praise, enthusiasm, and something you know she really likes and wants be it a fun place to go, time with daddy or you, a special treat, etc.

Try to ignore bad behavior, while emphasizing the good..It is important to praise those around her eating good foods like relatives, cousins, etc. Praise them profusely. This may cause her to follow suit. This is used in teaching to deal with behavior problem..ignoring the behavior you sdon't want and prsaising it in others that you do want. Also using anticipatory praise..I know Billy is going to do a good job in this as he is is a good learner, etc.

12. Tell her it makes you sad when she eats bad stuff and why..be honest crying if necessary an stressing how much you love her and want the best for her. Explain not everyone (like her mom) knows about nutrition and doesn’t know what they are doing is bad. Encourage her perhaps to ask her mom for particular healthy items. Talk to mom if you have a good relationship and can do it without causing more problems butexercise caution and extreme tact here. Make her feel a partner not an enemy or she will activitely teach against what you are doing and sabatoge it making it worse for your daughter.

13 check out and read some of these books

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-0609719-3048125?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=children%27s+nutrition+&Go.x=13&Go.y=5

. 14. Now this suggestion is a great one..I once had a book called something like how to change your kids (or maybe it was get) from what they eat to what they ought to or something like that..

If you could find the book, it had multiple suggestionsd and recipes and idea, but I couldn't find it or remember exact title but this is pretty close.

I searched for my copy unsuccessfully and on the web (oh I have spent so long on this answer to you but couldn’t find it..maybe it is out of print as it was a long time ago)..70's or early 80's.

Anyway, here is what you do, you focus on one goal a month..such as eating more fruit and more variety, eating more veggies, eating more meatless meals, eating more whole grains. Eating more soy and less meat and dairy, eating less chemicals, eating less sugar, etc.

You make a chart or something and check off every time she eats her fruit lest say the goal is three a day (which includes fresh, dried, juice (100% only), fresh squeezed or juiced juice, baked, fruit salads, etc) or three different colors of fruits a day or whatever.

Every time she does it, you give her verbal praise, affection, and whatever it is that you know she REALLY wants and loves be it a tangible object, a place, a privilege, etc. For the little goals it could be something so simple as a sticker on the chart..if she does it all day, she gets a bigger reward..if she does it a week or a month, a really big reward..this behavior modification is highly affective.
I once visited a behavior handicapped school and the student were a model of behavior..it used intensive behavior modification (although thought this particular atmosphere is depressing and oppressive) but you can make it a fun environment. Once you do it, 21 days, it becomes a habit..at first reward the smallest treat and later gradually require more than a taste.

15. It is most important to get your husband on board. Likely, nutrition isn’t something he values that much..do some education with him as well in a un way like the dinner them parties, the trips, etc. while gently educating him and changing his (and your own) diet. Remember, though, most men do not care about examples and are often bad role models..don't nag but think of a way to get him on board..read exercpts of books to him or something..enlist his mom's help.

16. Be patient and don’t give up and also read books about dealing with picky eaters.

It is a very worthy goal and may change the direction of her entire life...90% of who we are is fixed by age 9, so you need to hurry and make it a priority. What we eat has a huge impact on our life..maybe even show her selected exermps of the mover supersize me which I just saw a month ago, especially the fries segment in the extra features (maybe that will make her llike them more though..lol

Thanks for being such a good stepmom. If you can’t get your husband on board, you will have to do it yourself.

Seek out this forum for advise and support about this tiopic and many of parenting

..it is excellent http://www.mothering.com/discussions/

Also read mothering magazine (libraries sometimes have them)

starve her for 5 or 6 hours of no food sweets treats or sugar juices of any sort (tell all family members about this so they don't give in to her demands either) hide all foods out of her grasps ...ect... then 5 or 6 hours later when she is really starving sit her down to a big bowl of really healthy salads..... she wont have it and will make horrible demands but don't give in, be very strong with her because her health is at stake.... when she wont eat it don't worry because humans can live on only water no foods for nearly 2 weeks as I'm sure you know and she will eat it the next day or nothing..... she will soon be eating it if you are strict enough with the starving discipline, healthy food or no food ;)

More Questions & Answers...

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.

How can I get a 6 year old to eat healthier? HELP!!?

Pregnancy & Parenting