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" Every mom knows that fruits and veggies do a growing body good. She also knows how tough it is to get a toddler (or a grade-schooler \u2014 or even an adult) to choose greens and berries over chicken fingers and Fruity Pebbles. So it&amp;#039;s no surprise that only one in 50 kids eats a healthy diet (one that meets federal recommendations). But there are ways to turn your child into a healthy eater without turning you into the nutrition police. Try these reality-tested tips:  Get your kids into the kitchen. Seven-year-old Jason Zoller of Portland, OR, would zip his lips whenever he didn&amp;#039;t like the looks of something on his plate. Then his mom, Ren\u00E9, discovered that he&amp;#039;d try just about anything if he&amp;#039;d helped prepare it. Giving kids a say in what they&amp;#039;re eating \u2014 from letting them pick out items at the grocery store to enlisting their aid in the kitchen \u2014 entices them to venture beyond hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. &amp;quot;Children feel important when they&amp;#039;re asked to pitch in, and because they take pride in the finished product, they&amp;#039;re more likely to have an open mind about eating it,&amp;quot; says Christine Mastrangelo, R.D., a registered dietitian in Wakefield, MA. That time spent at the market and in the kitchen also teaches kids to make healthful choices, nutritionists say. (Kids&amp;#039; math and reading skills get a boost too.) Play with produce. It&amp;#039;s important to serve fruits and vegetables to your child each day so she develops a taste for them and gets the nutrition she needs. But don&amp;#039;t fret if she turns up her nose at the scrubby texture of broccoli or the slime factor of spinach \u2014 just give &amp;#039;em to her in forms she&amp;#039;ll find more appetizing. For instance, Medford, OR, mom Marcie Dixon&amp;#039;s kids clamor for &amp;quot;beancicles,&amp;quot; which are really just frozen green beans. Tanya Kaanta&amp;#039;s children in Bloomington, IN, gobble up dried fruits and veggies (peas are a favorite). Frozen fruit and homemade juice popsicles also have kid appeal, and even some packaged goods hold a lot of veggie power: Six-year-old Rachel Maloney of Denver has no problem eating her greens \u2014 as long as her mom, Kathy, gives her Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps. Each serving of these chips is equal to a half serving of vegetables. Moms also give these two fruit-packed products a thumbs-up: Larabars (one bar equals one fruit serving) and FruitaB\u00FC Organic Smooshed Fruit (one packet offers half a serving of fruit). Make any food &amp;quot;snack food.&amp;quot; Chips and cookies are probably top of mind when you think &amp;quot;snack,&amp;quot; but those dubiously colored treats usually aren&amp;#039;t the most filling or nutritious selections. &amp;quot;Like meals, snacks should comprise a healthy balance of protein and carbs and provide some nutrients,&amp;quot; says pediatrician Jennifer Shu, M.D., coauthor of Food Fights. Check product labels for unwanted stuff like hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and excess sugar or salt. Better yet, limit traditional snack foods altogether and offer your kids smaller-size portions of regular mealtime foods. Try oatmeal with banana slices, yogurt and fruit parfaits, hard-boiled eggs and wheat toast, cereal, PB&amp;amp;amp;J on whole-wheat tortillas, or quesadillas \u2014 all mini-meals that will fill them up and give them the energy and nourishment they need. Get sneaky. If you can&amp;#039;t coax your kid to eat the good stuff, you might just have to slip it into his food without his knowing. The &amp;quot;sneaky chef&amp;quot; method of adding pureed veggies isn&amp;#039;t exactly new, but, hey \u2014 it works. And pretty much any good-for-you ingredient is fair game. Michele Cline of Greenwood, IN, works mashed, cooked navy beans into pizza sauces, meatloaves and burgers, soups, and even pancakes. &amp;quot;They add protein, fiber, and iron to our meals, and my kids can&amp;#039;t taste the difference,&amp;quot; she says. Other sly ways to boost your family&amp;#039;s nutritional intake include using whole-wheat pasta in place of white, replacing half of a recipe&amp;#039;s all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour, substituting canola oil for butter or shortening when baking, and tossing a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed (which packs heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids) into breads, cakes, and fruit smoothies, says Janice Newell Bissex, R.D., coauthor of The Moms&amp;#039; Guide to Meal Makeovers. Let food be fun. Mom was wrong: Playing with food is not only fun, but it also encourages kids to be more adventurous diners, nutritionists confirm. Try arranging food into smiley faces on your child&amp;#039;s plate; cut meats, cheeses, and sandwiches into fun shapes with cookie cutters; or provide an assortment of dips, sauces, and toppings like sunflower seeds for salads, potatoes, and noodles. Mastrangelo makes mealtimes more fun for her 3-year-old daughter by giving foods silly names and making up stories about them. &amp;quot;We might be grizzly bears hunting for &amp;#039;sticks and rocks&amp;#039; that are actually spaghetti and meatballs and eating the leaves off broccoli &amp;#039;trees,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; she says. Alice Campbell of Fort Collins, CO, gets her two preschoolers to chow down on carrots by challenging them to a contest: &amp;quot;We take turns to see who can make the loudest crunch!&amp;quot;  Try and try again...and again. Studies show that kids sometimes need to sample a food up to a dozen times before finally liking it. That means offering the food once or twice a week for up to six weeks. &amp;quot;You can&amp;#039;t fix asparagus once and expect your child to fall in love with it,&amp;quot; says Theresa Romano-Ross, a registered dietitian in Hicksville, NY. &amp;quot;Consistency and patience are key when introducing new foods.&amp;quot; She should know: It took four weeks before Romano-Ross&amp;#039;s 1-year-old daughter developed a taste for hummus. &amp;quot;Kate gradually started to eat a little more each time I offered it. Now she can&amp;#039;t get enough!&amp;quot; Try pairing a new or unusual food with something your child already likes: baked tortilla chips with avocado slices, say, or sugar snap peas with a side of ranch dressing. And it&amp;#039;s perfectly reasonable to insist that your child take one bite of each food item. &amp;quot;After that, your child is free to say, &amp;#039;No, thank you&amp;#039; to eating more,&amp;quot; says Shu. &amp;quot;Hopefully she&amp;#039;ll say, &amp;#039;Yes, more, please!&amp;#039;&amp;quot; The free Recipe Reviewer Chart available at Bissex&amp;#039;s website (mealmakeovermoms.com) allows picky eaters to critique dishes. &amp;quot;Your child earns a star when she &amp;#039;reviews&amp;#039; a new food,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; explains Bissex. Ten stars (or however many you decide) earn a reward like stickers, a movie rental, or a dinner of her choosing. Seems like a small price to pay to get your kid to try Brussels sprouts. MOM-TESTED, KID-APPROVED RECIPES BIRCHER MUESLI  Kristen Frangie&amp;#039;s Switzerland-born grandmother made this for her when she was a child. &amp;quot;Now, it&amp;#039;s my toddler&amp;#039;s favorite breakfast food,&amp;quot; says the Leesburg, VA, mom.  Combine:   2 cups plain or flavored yogurt 1 cup oats (rolled or quick)  1 apple, peeled and grated  \u00BD lemon, juiced  \u00BD cup grapes, chopped in half \u00BD cup diced peaches, berries, or other seasonal fruit 1 cup chopped nuts, like almonds (optional)  1 Tbsp brown sugar or other sweetener.   Refrigerate overnight. Top with delicate fruit like bananas and strawberries before serving. Thin with milk if the muesli is too thick. Makes 4-6 servings.  MOMMY&amp;#039;S EDAMAMES &amp;quot;My 9-year-old has proclaimed edamame to be her number-one favorite vegetable,&amp;quot; says Meal Makeover Mom Janice Bissex. To fix, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add a 16-oz bag of frozen edamame (soybeans in the shell) to the pot. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain. Return to pot and toss with 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and \u00BD tsp kosher salt. Serve family-style in a big bowl, with a smaller bowl for the shells. Note: The shells (or pods) aren&amp;#039;t edible, only the beans inside. Makes 6 servings.  PUMPKIN PIE SQUARES Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a butternut squash into 1-inch cubes and coat them with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until soft. &amp;quot;This is my kids&amp;#039; most requested after-school snack,&amp;quot; says Albuquerque, NM, mom Shanele Whatley. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/advice/a4655/healthy-foods-for-kids/>