Ever notice how some of your best recollections involve the sensory pleasures of food? It’s no different for kids, and you can actually get yours to eat more healthfully by creating positive memories around meals, says Food Network host Ellie Krieger, author of Small Changes, Big Results, Revised & Updated. Krieger (pictured with her daughter Isabella) suggests these three ways:

Connect the generations. Invite grandma, a favorite aunt or a close older friend over to share a traditional scratch recipe with your family and even make it together. Document the day with photos and a written recipe.

Establish good-for-you food adventures. For example, go apple picking every fall, and at home make a big batch of spice-laced applesauce with your kids to enjoy for dessert. It’ll create a bushel of delicious memories.

Celebrate with taste. At a holiday dinner party or special meal to honor your child’s preschool graduation, serve “oven-fried” rosemary potatoes instead of fries, and slices of watermelon or bowls of fresh cherries instead of sugar-laden desserts. Associating fresh, natural foods with special events can influence the way your child celebrates—and eats—for life.

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