Many people within the medical community, as well as those outside of it, are seeing the positive benefits of raw food diets. People and their doctors are seeing rapid weight reduction, a balance in blood pressure levels, and other health benefits. With such positive results many families are looking to incorporate raw food diets into their children’s diets. However, because children are children this can be easier said than done.

Many children can be rather picky about the things they eat, and vegetables are a funny truth of this fact. As many parents know all too well their children often leave the vegetables on their plate to be eaten last. And even then it can be a parental challenge to get the child to eat their veggies before leaving the table.

For children the issue is largely about taste and texture. And quite frankly, and in agreement with the child’s viewpoint, many raw foods can taste somewhat odd and have an equally odd texture when eaten. For most anybody many raw foods do take some getting used to, and a child is no different. However, the question is how you get your children interested in a raw food diet. Here are some possible strategies.    

All young children like to help their parents because they see it as doing grown-up things. It’s also one way they learn socialization skills, although it can be more of a game to them than it is an awareness of learning. However, the parent can use this ‘helping’ behavior to their advantage by bringing the child into the preparation of the raw food meal. 

Raw food preparation is a fairly safe thing to do because there’s no cooking involved and therefore the parent doesn’t need to worry about the child burning or scalding themselves. Even though there may be some cutting involved, which would require the use of knives, something young children probably shouldn’t do, there are still other things they can do to help. For example, after you cut a food the child could place the cut pieces in a bowl or plate, or if the meal will include leafy raw foods children can wash these under cold water for you. What’s important here is to get your children involved in the preparation as means of introducing them to a raw food diet.

Another way to get children to embrace a raw food diet is provide them with fresh fruits like grapes, berries, and bananas for example. Most children enjoy these fruits and the more variety you can provide them with the better. Watermelon slices or apple pieces are a treat to almost any child. If you provide more types of these healthy choices they are more likely to be less inclined to ask for candy or cookies. There is a significant difference of taste in natural sugars from processed sugars, and children even seem to know this difference and go for the healthier choice. 

For the family picnic or trip to the zoo fill the picnic basket with raw foods. Children enjoy outings because they are fun. When children are having fun they will be more open to new food experiences. Especially after running around and burning up energy they will be hungry and ready to eat practically anything.

Be a good example. This fact applies to any part of child rearing, as well as it does to introducing your child to a raw food diet. All young children watch they parents as examples of what to do or not to do. The things they see you do they’ll want to do the same, including eating the same foods as you do.