Food: Kids & Healthy Choices
Guest Post
by Jennifer Cooper, posted on June 28th, 2010 in Cooking, Guest Posts
This weekend I broke out into a happy dance. The occasion you ask? My picky eater ate a chickpea, cucumber and bell pepper salad. Not only did he eat it, he said, “It was a million goods.” It was historic.
Trying to get our picky eater to try a variety of food has resulted in many a standoff. Between the picky eater, my husband and me, meal time can quickly turn into a scene straight out of a Spaghetti Western: tumble weeds blow through the dining room and our eyes dart nervously back and forth. I imagine I’m the Good. In reality, I end up the first man down. Making me which one? The Ugly or the Bad?
Since I know so many of us face this same battle, I’ve asked Blogger Kristin Potler, from LoveFeast Table, to offer her tips for getting the kids to put down the bag of chips and walk towards the healthier food light.
And with that, I turn it over to Kristin…
Often I get asked the question, “How do you get your kids to eat so well?” It could be that they’ve been raised with good food and a variety of foods since they were young. They were exposed early on to different flavors. At the age of two it was pretty normal for our kids to be eating avocados and hummus. They would quickly move onto finger foods such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and red peppers.
I found that if it was colorful and small and came with a dip of some sort, it would get eaten! Little ramekins are a mom’s best friend. It makes the food more manageable and not so overwhelming as a plate piled with food. I’d slice grilled chicken and offer it with a dip of yogurt.
Another favorite around here is the “snackable lunch” which is a healthier version of a pre packaged snackable. I pull out a large platter (I have five kids) and I slice up salami or some kind of hard smoked sausage. I also slice up hard cheddar, put out a whole grain cracker, veggies and a choice of honey mustard or peanut butter. I pile on some grapes and strawberries or apple slices. They each get a small plate and spend time creating their own lunches.
Another thing that I think helps children eat healthy is to give them choices. They love to feel in control. Now, by choices I don’t mean you let them stand in front of the refrigerator at dinner and choose what you are going to make for them! I am no short order cook! But, I do mean, when you set out a tray loaded with healthy choices, they feel in control, they don’t realize that any choice they make is a good one and they have fun eating!
I think another thing that helps my kids make good choices with their eating is I don’t have “no zones”. So many moms I meet, that want their kids to eat healthy, don’t have a single crumb of sugar in the house.
You may think you’re controlling their world and you may very well be! You may have compliant kids who all through their lives will take your word for it…never try the sugar and be amazingly, well balanced eaters. Or you may have the kind of kids that the moment they hit the school cafeteria, they buddy up with the Tasty Cake, Ho Ho, Twinkie packed lunch box kid and enjoy some bad-for-your-body stuff while you’re not looking.
Chances are if you have multiple kids, like I do, you’ll have a mix! So, our solution is to offer up lots of choices in the way of candy, but in small portions.
I have come up with the candy drawer, healthy snack drawer solution in my house. The healthy snack drawer is loaded with granola bars, dried fruits, nuts, multi grain cereal bars, etc…
The candy drawer looks like this.
The drawer is kept stocked with individual size pieces of candy. Both drawers are easy to reach. If they are hungry they know at any time they can get a piece of fruit or vegetable without asking. But, if they want a “snack” they ask. I say, “Yes, you can have something out of the healthy drawer.” Or if it’s after lunch, I may surprise them and say, “You can pick two things out of the candy drawer.” And, again, they have choices without realizing I have helped them to make good ones.
About LoveFeast Table
“Join us at the Table or we’ll meet you at yours!” LoveFeast Table is about what happens on and around the table…the food, the conversations, the guests and the inspiration. Pull up a chair to our Table or invite us to yours! Let’s take this journey together!
About Kristin Potler
Kristin co-writes LoveFeast Table with best friend Chris Ann Brekhus. Kristin is from urban Baltimore and Chris Ann from suburban Minneapolis.
Kristin spent 16 years in the restaurant industry, 3 of which she owned Jahva House in historic Ellicott City with her chef-husband Devon. She holds a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management. She has traveled the world with her family, including her 5 children. Her and her husband have prepared feasts in places like China, Ireland and the Philippines. She loves to gather people at the table, hear their stories, try new foods and take in the sights and sounds while dining! She sees the act of sharing a meal as a living art installation. No two meals are ever the same!
Jennifer Cooper Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Hi Mela, thanks so much for stopping by to comment! We love apple slices here too. One of the treats we do is apple slices dipped in honey. So it’s a sweet treat that is pretty healthy too. Win-win!
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