Dinner is the one meal that most parents have total control over. Preparing healthy dinners for children is a challenge that parents can overcome. In most cases, parents are responsible for purchasing food and cooking the meal. But sadly, it is a meal that now lacks the meaning it had in the past. The concept of a ‘family dinner’ in which all members of the family sit down together to eat their meal is a challenge which many families feel unable to achieve. Differing tastes, work schedules, social lives all succeed in disrupting this once important family time. Discussion of the days events with the whole family is sadly a thing of the past for many families.

Instead of a family dinner it is easier to prepare a quick meal which everyone eats at their own time and frequently on the run or while watching television.

When asked, many modern children had never eaten a dinner at the dining table. Some don’t even know how to use a knife or fork correctly and fewer still consume vegetables regularly. Some children were shown a potato and asked what it was. Relatively few knew what it was and when they were told that chips/fries were made from potatoes they answered, “No they don’t, they come from a plastic bag in the supermarket freezer!” This may seem funny, but it is a sad indication of modern society’s dependence on processed, ready made foods and the lack of fresh vegetables that many family consume.

Yes it is easier to ring for pizza and have it delivered to your door, or pull out a microwave meal that takes only minutes to prepare. But have you considered the consequences of these actions?

Life is full of choices and choices always have consequences. Maybe you were never taught to cook by your parents, or maybe you feel that you don’t have time. But if you rely on these processed and prepared meals then your children will learn to do the same. The problem is that these meals are high in fat, sugar, salt and calories and you know what that means don’t you? It means you are increasing the chances of yourself and your children becoming overweight

Perhaps you think it is cheaper to buy these ready meals or ring for pizza or go to the burger shop. Maybe it is cheaper, but constantly consuming these foods effects health and you could end up paying a much higher price than the actual cost of the food. It could even be argued that providing only fast foods is a form of child neglect since these foods are notoriously low in nutritional value and consuming them constantly can make them physically ill.

There are many obesity related diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome. These potentially life threatening illnesses are being experienced more frequently in those decades younger than was occurring even 30 years ago.

Stop the cycle today and start cooking dinner for the family. It doesn’t have to be a three course gourmet affair. A skinless chicken fillet with a serve of wholemeal pasta. Teach your children to sit at the table and use a knife and fork. Introduce those vegetable into the meal. Have fresh fruit salad with low fat yogurt for dessert. If you don’t know how to cook them you can prepare vegetables from the freezer section of your local store. These are highly nutritionally intact since they are frozen within hours of picking. You also don’t have to clean and chop them and nothing has been added to them.

Start cooking lean meat, chicken and fish rather than processed foods. Experiment with different foods and create your own burgers out of quality minced meat if that is what your children like. It’s time to stop them dictating what they will eat. Don’t tell them you’re putting them on a diet, diet is a dirty four letter word! Just talk about making healthy food choices. Explain to them the benefits of making healthy food choices.

You might think this is expensive but think of the money you will save on medical bills when they are no longer running to the doctor with various complaints.

And as far as time goes, it really doesn’t take that much longer to prepare healthy dinners for children and the family. The main difference is that you need to supervise the cooking rather than just throwing it in the oven and coming back when the timer goes off.

Take back control of dinner and experiment with different foods, you will be surprised how many foods children will eat once they become accustomed to them. And the biggest reward for you effort will be when they are fit and healthy in twenty years time and thanking you for loving and caring enough to prepare healthy dinners for them as children.

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