Mealtime does not need to be a battle royal between kids who want cheese puffs and parents who want them to eat carrots. Instead of bribing, threatening or arguing with kids who don't want to eat healthy fruits and vegetables, sneak these nutrient-dense foods into the meals they already love, advises Penn State University. Tricking kids into eating healthful meals without compliant is actually quite easy to do.
Step 1
Give your meals a "makeover" that weaves in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy oils, advise Meal Makeover Moms Janice Newell Bissex and Liz Weiss, both registered dieticians. It's easy to hide grated vegetables in tacos, sloppy Joes and other meat-based dishes. Add wheat germ to pancakes, and use blueberries and bananas to make a face or design on top. Make pudding using low-fat yogurt. Make your own chicken nuggets with skinless, boneless chicken, corn cereal and omega-3 eggs.
Step 2
Add a smoothie to your child's day. This will help get some fruit, low-fat yogurt and perhaps even a few vegetables into your child's daily diet. For example, combine mango, orange juice and low-fat vanilla yogurt, and sneak in some carrot if you can.
Step 3
Create purees that can be blended into foods. Purple puree offers antioxidants as well as calcium. Blend 3 cups spinach, 1½ cups blueberries, ½ teaspoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water. Mix into dark foods, such as brownies or burgers. Orange puree provides vitamins C and E and carotene. Blend a boiled sweet potato and three cooked carrots. Mix this into red or orange foods, such as macaroni and cheese. Use white puree to boost intake of folic acid and fiber. Blend 2 cups steamed cauliflower, two chopped zucchinis and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Use this in mashed potatoes or other light-colored foods. Green puree is packed with fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Use 2 cups spinach, 1 cup steamed green peas, 2 cups steamed broccoli and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Mix into meatloaf and sauces, adding tomato paste if needed to hide the green, advises Missy Chase Lapine in First For Women magazine's Feb. 8, 2010, issue. Lapine is author of "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."
Step 4
Make small swaps that pay off with big benefits. Switch to kosher salt, which has less sodium than table salt. Instead of feeding your child an apple each day, give her an orange, an apple and some cantaloupe to help meet the recommended daily amount of fruits and veggies. Use healthy canola, olive, peanut and sesame oils instead of vegetable oil. Use omega-3 eggs rather than regular eggs. Swap frozen French fries for frozen sweet potato fries, the most popular "vegetable" among kids younger than 5, advise Bissex and Weiss.
Step 5
Eat meals as a family. This lets you serve as a healthy eating role model and gives you a chance to introduce new foods to your children, advises the Nemours Foundation. Involve your child in planning and preparing some meals. Continue to serve them unhidden vegetables and encourage kids to eat these to help them acquire a taste for the healthful foods, advises Penn State University.
References
- Meal Makeover Moms: Mealtime Made Easy
- Nemuors Foundation: Healthy Eating
- First For Women magazine: Make any dish healthier with the right puree; Feb. 8, 2010
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