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How Do You Get Her to Eat That?By Laura Hopkins

I can still visualize the scene . . . My 3-year-old daughter and I were sitting in the

stands at a high school basketball game watching my husbands team compete. Butfor some of the spectators the action on the court was not as entertaining as the

actions of my little one who was eating sweet peppers and celery cut into longstrips. !he munched and smiled" they gawked and whispered. #inally one older

woman spoke up$ %&ow do you get her to eat that'( My simple response$ %I eat ittoo.(

)his was not an isolated incident. *ell-meaning folks often warned me about the

danger of a child forced to eat only healthy food eventually rebelling and going on+unk food binges when away from home. )o me that was akin to predicting that a

child would rebel against the ,ord because she attended church with her familyregularly. n the contrary when that child understands why her family attends

church and comes to know a personal loving !avior her choice is based onrelationship and firsthand knowledge of the power and presence of the ,ord. My

desire was for my daughter to know that od made good food for her fearfully andwonderfully made body and that when she satisfied her %mouth with good things(

her youth would be %renewed like the eagles.( /!ee 0salm 123$.4

#ast-forward three years and my daughter is much more aware of the choices

available for her discerning palate. )hrough church friends homes and ourhomeschool group shes learning all about the world of food both living food and

dead food. f course when she was younger it was much easier to monitor the foods

she consumed. !o my counter to the onslaught of unhealthy choices is to make heraware that her health i.e. the 5uality of her life is based on her choices.

6euteronomy 32$17 is the abiding !cripture for her training I call heaven and earthto record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing

and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

My daughter definitely en+oys sweets but often will politely decline an offer of sugarfrom the bank teller or the cashier at the dry cleaner because she wants to have a

treat at a birthday party or make a dessert for 6addy. !he started this practice afterI shared with her how sugar depresses her white blood cells and renders them

powerless to fight germs. !he also is motivated by her memory of the time when shethrew up when she was 8 and she does not want to e9perience that again. *hen

she started to understand the %why( of eating healthfully she began to embrace it.*hen she e9periences the conse5uences of a bad food choice she easily recognizes

that it was a conse5uence of her own choice.

&aving her +oin me in the process of selecting produce and then preparing it is veryimportant. !he has ownership in the process and is e9cited about sampling her

dishes. *hile were making memories in the kitchen I talk to her about thenutritional benefits of food and she takes pride in providing nourishing food for those

she loves.

My sister-in-love !era :ohnson has a similar story to mine but hers has a different

beginning. !hes labeled herself the %#ormer #ast #ood ;ueen( and has firsthandknowledge of turning the +unk food tide with her four children ranging in age from

18 to 8. !eras steps to success with picky eaters are as follows$

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1. et rid of the +unk< If the +unk is not there its not an option.

=. Make a list of the vegetables fruits grains and healthy proteins that eachfamily member likes and eat those things first. 6ont be discouraged if the

list is short initially.3. Make positive confessions at mealtime and during family prayers. #or

e9ample$ %)hank you ,ord for this good food and how you made it to blessand strengthen my body. )hank you for helping me love >our food.(

8. )ry at least one new thing at each meal. )he key is letting the kids choose

new things. )hey may not like everything but its important to develop a

confidence in at least trying new foods.. !ubstitute healthy ingredients for old favorites that are unhealthy. *e created

recipes for healthier chicken nuggets pizza shakes and cookies in Nutrition101: Choose Life.

!eras ne9t step was to work on her personal approach to healthy food. ?lthough sheloved to try new things she had to ad+ust her mindset acknowledging that preparing

nutritious meals was worth the time and effort it re5uired. !he knew she could do it

but she was challenged to believe she wasnt too busy to cook. )he proof is in thepudding though as !eras family has made significant strides to en+oy and

e9perience new foods.

ur families dont like everything they eat but we are committed to learning to love

ods food and taking full advantage of the benefits of it. *e have to makeintentional choices to keep our immune systems strong and to eat healthful foods

when were busy or away from home. ne thing we have learned is that truly allthings are possible in &im