This week we have a great question. JLK writes:

"How do I get my school age son to make good choices when he picks out his hot lunch?"

This is clearly a question of education. Children are going to make choices at school, or anywhere else, based on what they've learned at home. This is true for every kind of behavior, from food to how they treat other kids.

This is why The Sneaky Chef method of sneaking healthy foods into kids favorite meals is not a substitute for education. Parents who are sneaking in veggies can rest assured that their kids are getting vital nutrition that they might otherwise not get, but they also need to take the opportunity to teach kids about proper food choices. For example, placing a small bowl of steamed or sauteed veggies on the table alongside the sneaky dish allows parents to teach kids about the merits of eating vegetables, only now it's in a much less pressured environment. Parents aren't nealy as invested in having little Johnny actually swallow the dreaded veggie right then and there, because they know that he's already getting some of that vegetable, or another healthy veggie, hidden in his mac n' cheese.

Sneaking actually facilitates teaching by taking the pressure off the situation. And who can learn under intense pressure? On the contrary, when parents are relaxed in a situation, kids feel it. The urgent need to eat the new food isn't felt, and kids relax about the experience rather than tensing up about it.

So to get your child to make good food choices at school, or any time they're away, teach them at home, in a relaxed way that has the best chance of sinking in. 

All the best for the holidays!

Missy