Hey guys!
Do you want to hear about one of my biggest peeves in the world? Yes? Good I knew you would. I absolutely, positively hate the way that “kid’s menu food” is always chicken nuggets, hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac ‘n cheese and french fries. Whether you go to a fast food place or a sit-down restaurant, generally you will find the same similar set of, well, junk.
What is the reason for this? It’s because we as adults “vote” for these types of food to be put on menus when we order them for the kids. By showing businesses that we have a demand for the greasy meals, they will naturally keep providing these and only these in child-size portions. AND, many individuals unknowingly push these types of food in the home as well because simply put, parents are worried that children won’t get enough food and they want to feed them something that will be finished.
I totally disagree with this mindset, and here’s why. Did you know that it takes a baby 8-15 exposures to a new food before they may learn to like it and put it in their mouth? That’s a lot of exposures, so before you rule out a notoriously unpalatable food at first grimace, try again!
There’s different opinions on whether or not an adolescent child should be forced to taste everything, but I definitely think this is the best way to approach eating. There’s no need to assume that children won’t like a certain food and you won’t know until you try.
Here are my 5 ways to ease the kids into healthy food:
- Let them be part of the cooking process. By including your kids in preparation and presentation of the meals you cook at home, they will be much more likely to taste and enjoy the food themselves!
- Make the food fun. Don’t serve a 5 year old baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and brown rice. BLAH. Even I would be bored with that meal. Make things colorful and experiment with new ways to get veggies into old favorites.
- Don’t force it. I don’t think the whole “sit here until you finish your peas” approach is very effective because it forces a bad association with the particular food item. Instead, ask which particular quality about that food is unappealing.
- Let them come to the grocery store. Allow children to help pick out new items that look good to them. That being said, steer clear of the candy and candy-esque cereals that take up half of the aisles. Marking at it’s finest! Try not to give into to the temptation.
- Have family dinners. What ever happened to families sitting down at the dinner table in the same place every night, talking about their day over a home-cooked meal? It seems almost non-existent as our schedules get busier and technology takes over our night-time brains. My family always did this (at least on most nights of the week) and I swear that it does wonders both nutritionally speaking and in terms of family bonding. Bring family meals back!
My dinner tonight is an example of how you can make a classic fun and delicious meal into a healthy favorite for a child:
Veggie Quesadillas:
This was quick and easy, tasty and healthy. The inside was full of veggie goodness:
In case you can’t tell, that’s hummus, spinach, tomato, avocado, green onion, and goat cheese. You can make this a little less “out-there” by subbing out the green onion and goat cheese for red onion and cheddar. I love making these because anything can be thrown in and it always tastes good. Make it sweet by using peanut butter and banana, make a breakfast version by using eggs, mushrooms and cheese. The possibilities are endless.
What are your opinions on children and healthy eating?
And also, how do you deal with the fine line between encouraging healthy eating and causing possible food issues later on, especially with girls? This is one thing I want to be extra careful with when the day comes that I have kids…
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