June is National Dental Health Month. And in our other post, “Food Tips for Better Dental Health,” we talked about some foods that would benefit the teeth and gums and prevent oral diseases. As it’s generally hardest to get kids to eat healthy, we’ve provided some more tips below to get your child into the mindset of good health, and good oral health and hygiene as well.

1. Limit Sugar and Salt
   If you use less of both of these, your kids won’t know what they’re missing, and won’t crave it as much later in life. Remove the salt shaker, and try to use honey to sweeten instead of sugar. It is just as sweet, but it takes a lot less of it to get the effect.
2. Let Fun into to the Dinner Table
   Even something as simple as a fun plate or silly straw can inspire your kids to finish the meal in front of them. Have a little collection of bright and colorful dinnerware to keep things fresh.
3. Make Dinner Hour a Social Hour
   If you fight and plead with your kids to eat, they won’t. Simply ask them to try everything, and they’ll be much more receptive the next time around, even if they don’t this time.
4. Don’t Forget Dairy
   There are several low fat or nonfat dairy products out there. Make sure to include them with your meals as replacements to other, less healthy alternatives. Fat-free sour cream or fat-free milk are often unnoticeable in their taste difference when part of a larger meal.
5. Cut Back on Fat
   Turkey is a low-fat substitute for many lunch meats, and you can also cut back on sodium this way as well. Another way to cut fat is when cooking with nuts and seeds: using less in a recipe often doesn’t lose an ounce of flavor in the process.

All of these tips and more can be found in the book “Healthy Snacks for Kids” by Penny Warner. You can find the book at http://www.ncescatalog.com, or in our catalog in the ‘Educated Kids’ section.