Are you having a difficult time convincing your children
that veggies are tasty? Your efforts are
admirable but take it from a previous veggie rebel, you probably won’t
win. Aside from threatening, tying the
child to the chair and force feeding the gagging little being, there is an easy
way to increase intake without feeling like you’ve just negotiated a 68 page
contract.
We have, for the last 50 years been convinced that a diet
low in fat and high in vegetable matter is the healthiest diet for the human
frame. If you’ve studied articles from The Weston Price Foundation, a Low Carb or
Paleo Diet for any length of time, you now understand that while vegetable
matter is important, there are more factors at play here than just a push for
more fiber. Remember, fiber is
non-nutritive and while important, it contains no vitamins or minerals. Fiber binds with cholesterol, old cellular
matter and toxins, bulks the stool, as well, converts to butyric acid in the
colon to act as food for our good bacteria.
Vegetables contain many different vitamins and minerals
essential for a healthy diet, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, carotenes, folates,
and iron. They also contain complex carbohydrates which are the type that
should make up the majority of carbs in the diet. Today’s diets are heavy in the simple carbs
like that of white bread, potatoes and rice, for example.
Let me put you at ease…
These same nutrients are found in a variety of foods, not
just the conventional vegetables we have been conditioned to consume.
So what is a parent to do if the child is consistently
turning their noses up at the dinner table?
Should you turn into a sneaky “Mom chef” hiding kale in every dish you
prepare? It’s really not necessary and
even if you’re on a 3 veggie rotation schedule, I’m here to tell you that there
are plenty of options for you that might seem unconventional but they
work.
Ideas abound with a bit of creativity and a quick internet
search. Some of the most popular recipes
I have encountered include cauliflower mash with cream, cheese and garlic,
black bean brownies, cauliflower based pizza crust, and avocado pudding,. (While
the avocado is a fruit, it is the only fruit to contain fat and the fiber
content is pretty favorable)
If steamed or sauteed vegetables are readily eaten by your
child, be sure to add plenty of butter.
Those fat soluble vitamins aren’t assimilated without the fat. Don’t hesitate to use a bit extra in the
beginning so the child predominantly tastes butter.
How about grilled veggies?
You’ve got the grill fired up and it’s too hot to cook inside so baste
some zucchini spears with granulated garlic and olive oil and throw them on
right before you cook your meat. You
can also opt for kabobs and make it a safe skewer event for the whole family.
If even a thick slick of butter doesn’t convince your child,
working the deceptive angle might be your best bet.
I take my Vitamix to schools and blend for elementary school
children and have great success with my Green Pina Colada Smoothie. It’s quite theatrical. I begin with 1 cup of coconut water, 1/2 cup
of frozen pineapple, ½ cup frozen mango, 1 banana, 1 cup frozen kale or fresh
spinach. I hide the greens until the end
and proclaim I have a secret ingredient.
Ewwww! Is generally the exclamation
when I pull out that handful of kale.
This is a great recipe but definitely a bit higher in sugar so if your
child has blood sugar issues or is on a weight regulating plan, you might
consider not utilizing this recipe and coming up with something lower in sugar
like coconut milk, berries and greens.
If the child’s aversions are based on color, I find that
blueberries and spinach will make a beautiful purple shake.
Purees are the hot deceptive additions to today’s dinner
tables. You can make a variety of
different purees to add to spaghetti, stews, soups and other sauces. Examples include; spinach, broccoli,
cauliflower, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.
If you visit http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipes.php
, you will locate a few free recipes that contain these very ingredients.
Cauliflower is probably one of the easiest vegetables to
work with and even though a mild cruciferous vegetable, the nutrients pack a
powerful punch. Mix steamed cauliflower
with a butternut squash puree, cauliflower, ground beef and cheese casserole,
faux macaroni and cheese and my personal favorite, twice baked cauliflower
casserole. Cauliflower also makes a nice thickener for gravy. Just add the cauliflower to a baking roast or turkey during the last hour and once your roux is started, blend the veggies and add to thicken.
Spinach is one of the most benign green vegetables we can
utilize. Throw your spinach in the food
processor and add small amounts to hamburger patties, meatballs, meatloaf and
egg bake casseroles.
We so frequently get hung up on the conventional that we
forget about the unconventional. It’s ok
to surrender to approaches like vegetables and fruit with dip for example. Jicama, celery, cucumber rounds, sweet
peppers and carrots apples, grapes and bananas served with a nice ranch or
yogurt dressing are all great options.
This is particularly desirable during the warmer months.
I would also like to
encourage you to serve olives, nuts and seeds, coconut flakes and even a bit of
fresh or dried fruit on the side. Picky
eaters do love to pick so give them several little options. Remember, the plate does not have to be
green all of the time, it just needs to be balanced with plenty of fat and
protein and slow digesting carbohydrate that contain plenty of antioxidants.
Another tip, chop everything small so that the mouth feel is
desirable. A Normandy style mix for
example chopped small and sautéed in butter and garlic is quite tasty even for
the most discriminating mini palate!
When children are involved, they are more likely to
experiment what they have grown or prepared.
It is imperative that we establish education around nutrition and there
is no better way than to begin early in the garden and kitchen.
Whatever your choice, don’t give up and remember,
consistency is key. If 2 green beans
make it down the shoot, consider the meal a success!
