One of the most challenging jobs of any parent is encouraging your children to develop healthy eating habits. Bribing kids to clean their plate is a centuries-old tactic that many parents lean on as a crutch to meet all of the nutritional needs. However, it is a better tactic to create an environment at home that encourages healthy eating without having to resort to bribery. Not only will you develop lifelong healthy eating habits wiht this approach, but you will also support a less combative household at mealtimes.

Here are six things that you can do to encourage healthy eating for your children.

Be Responsive to Child's Hunger Cues

It easy to fall into the trap of thinking that your child needs to eat a certain amount of food each day to function at optimal levels. However, most nutritional experts now agree that children should be allowed to self-regulate their own appetites. Forcing your child to eat a pre-determined amount of food at each mealtime may lead to obesity. This will also develop an unhealthy relationship with food for many children. It is important for children to trust their own internal hunger cues and to feel empowered to regulate their appetites. Rather than fighting against your child's natural cues, you should teach them to trust their bodies.

Model Healthy Eating Behaviors

Children learn the most by simply watching their parents enjoy nutritious foods. If you demonstrate to your child how much you love to indulge in a wide array of healthy foods, they will be more likely to do the same. You can extend this modeling further by taking your child shopping to pick out nutritious foods. Involving them in the meal preparation will also go a long way in engaging them in the process.

Eat at Consistent Times

Developing a regular eating schedule will help to set boundaries with food. Research continually shows that sitting together as a family for meals will help to support a healthy relationship with food while also supporting familial bonds. It is vital that you make family meals a pleasant experience. This is not the time to bring up school or disciplinary issues. Doing so will make your child associate eating with stressful feelings. Eating at consistent times will also discourage your child from snacking throughout the day. You should also discourage eating and snacking in front of the television so that your child does not get into the habit of mindless eating.

Serve Healthy Food as a Habit

Even if your child is not enthusiastic about healthy eating, it is still important to continue to serve nutritious foods at every meal. Having a wide array of food available throughout the day will encourage your child to sample different items. You never know when they will find a healthy food that they like. For example, simply having a fresh vegetable available at every family dinner will send the message that healthy eating is important to you.

Make Healthy Eating Fun

You can make healthy eating fun for your child by incorporating nutritious food items into things that they already love. For example, try serving a side of ranch dressing for dipping alongside a cup of carrots and celery. Or a cream cheese or yogurt dip to pair with their favorite fresh fruit. Making smoothies is another easy way to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into a food that your child is more likely enthusiastic about trying.

Pay Attention to Beverages

In addition to making sure that your child is eating the right foods, it is also crucial that you teach them the importance of drinking plenty of water. You can make this more fun by turning it into a challenge. Give your child a goal to drink a certain amount of water each day and then reward them for meeting this initiative. The goal is to steer them away from sugary beverages and juice drinks that fill no nutritional need.

Being intentional about developing these lifelong nutritional habits for your child will pay off big dividends for their overall health. While it may take work to make this a habit, you will not regret putting forth the extra effort to cultivate this healthy eating philosophy.