A really good way to get children to enjoy healthy eating is by including them in the process of making it.
One of the Food Rules Michael Pollan suggests is to eat anything you want, as long as you make it yourself. I really like this idea because as he says, you can use quality ingredients, and it takes lots of time and energy (so it’s not like you’ll be making chocolate chip cookies every day!).
We feel the same about juice- it’s not something we want our son to have very often, but all kids love it. Our son particularly loves orange juice, and by teaching him how to make it, he seems to appreciate it more. And since this is the (first) phase of his life where he wants to do everything himself, it’s meeting a need in his development.
Even though it’s a bit of a messier process, I really enjoy seeing him so focused on a task, and proud of his accomplishment.
And I love hearing him exclaim, “It’s deelicious!”