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Healthy Eaters.Grocery Shopping: Have your child help you createthe shopping list. If they are too young forthis, you can talk out loud to help familiarizethem with the names of foods. At the storethey can help you find the foods on yourlist. Most stores have mini shopping carts foryour child to help you – encourage them touse these to gather non-breakable items (thisteaches them shopping cart etiquette aswell). You can teach them how to select thehighest quality fruits or vegetables by showingthem what to look for in texture, color, andaroma. You can also teach them how to shopthe perimeter first and why the choices offeredin the middle aisles aren’t as healthy.Back at Home: Have them help bring in the groceriesif they are old enough and put everythingaway where it belongs. I told you cookingwith kids would be rewarding!Get Cooking Together: Starting around the ageof 3 (depending on your child’s readiness),kids can begin to help you in the kitchen. Kidscan have fun, feel important, and learn a lot bydoing everything from taking ingredients outof the pantry or refrigerator, to going outsideto pick herbs from the garden. What else canthey do?. Wash vegetables, fruits, and herbs.. Help assemble dishes, especially simple andcolorful ones such as salads.. Help with measuring, keeping track of time,and testing food (their favorite).. Crack eggs, grind grains, and prepare nutsand seeds if you are toasting them.. And, as they get older, peel, grate, or cutvegetables (usually around 5 years of age iswhen a child has the coordination to hold achild’s knife but you should still supervisetheir every move).Serving: Nothing makes a child feel more specialthan knowing they get to be the star of everyone’sfavorite time of day–dinner! Allow yourlittle helper to serve your family by teachingthem how to set the table and encourage themto make it a beautiful space. Creating idyllic“meal-scapes” is not only fun, but also teachesyour young eater that meal time is a sacredtime when nourishment and community takeplace. Teaching this at an early age encourageslifelong healthy eating habits and fostersa happy and healthy association withfood. Have them decorate the table with flowers,candles, clean place mats, cups, utensils,and napkins. Every once in a while, have yourchild make place cards for family membersand ask them to place them around the table–this gives your child the control they craveand let’s them be in charge!Clean Up: Your little chef needs to understandhow to complete the cycle of fun in thekitchen by learning how to properly clean upafter him or herself. You will reap the benefitsof this for years to come! Your child canhelp carry dishes to the sink, wash and drythem, or work the dishwasher. To completethe cycle, teach them how to recycle andcompost discards and leftovers, if your familydoes this.Tactic Two: PresentationMarketing healthy food to your young eater is achance for you to think like a kid again. Gettingyour child interested in the kitchen is easy if youturn on your creativity and appeal to their interests!When I wanted to encourage healthy eatingin my children I realized that it wasn’t as simpleas saying “eat your spinach because it is good foryou”. I had to get them interested and excited.I’m sure you can relate to having a picky eater oran eater who goes through a picky phase. EitherJune-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 21