First & foremost.......LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Then, TRY new things and INCLUDE her in the process. I taught pre-school and encouraged parents to go thru the produce section and pick out one thing you've never tried before. "Research" together on how to prepare, etc. You HAVE to make it fun, a learning experience and help them realize THESE ARE DECISIONS YOU MAKE EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! THEREFORE........it's an EDUCATION.
When you're eating carrots, talk about the values and WHY your body needs them. In ADDITION, you MUST talk about the effects of white flour, processed sugar, too much saturated fat, etc. You cannot change what you don't acknowledge and NEED to educate yourself as well. If you don't know....FIND OUT!!! Again......LEAD BY EXAMPLE!
EXERCISE!! Your body was MADE TO MOVE!!! Chronic pain and dysfunctional issues are LARGELY related to lack of movement and improper movement. If you sit all day, you create tight muscles in the hip flexors and over time, lose the lumber curve in your spine. THEN.......your hips won't got into flexion and you wonder why your back hurts. NOT rocket science.
Have family meetings and talk about what you're GOING to change as a family. RE-EMPHASIZE the importance of WHY you are doing this. This is about QUALITY OF LIFE!!!
There are TONS of ways to do this. Experience veggies raw, steamed, cooked, baked, in salads, etc. TRY TRY TRY new things and ALWAYS talk about how much FUN it is to try new things. REMIND them that they do NOT have to always like it but they won't know until they try.
My rules........three bites before you make a decision. DO NOT make a big deal out of not liking something. Move on to something new.
Make dips w/ cottage cheese - process in blender or food processor w/ taco seasoning, dry hidden valley ranch, salsa, etc. as dips for veggies. Adds PROTEIN - essential for breaking down fats & carbs and helps stabilize blood sugar - and helps TREMENDOUSLY from craving sweets. There HAS to be BALANCE!
DO NOT keep junk and sweets aroung the house. If she gets hungry enough, she'll eat WHAT IS AVAILABLE. Use spices and seasonings. They add NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND taste great. Try different seasonings on the same vegetable. There are charts and I have recommendations if you need them.
PLAN and let her make choices in the planning. This is NOT to say that you do without a cookie ONCE IN A WHILE, but the "rules are" you get your priorities out of the way FIRST - what your body NEEDS - and THEN, if you still want something sweet or whatever, THEN and ONLY then is it okay.
If you put soda in your car instead of gas, it would run about the way your body does if you don't put in the "fuel" that it needs!
If you are local and want a family consult, I do those. OR..if you want to do a group with other moms and/or families, I can do that, too.