Making Fresh Food Fun!

by Victoria Holthaus

 Have you seen the Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli commercial where the grocery store clerk is signaled not to tell the child there are vegetables in the mix?  It is disappointing to know that if the child had been told there were a full serving of vegetables in the ravioli, he likely would not have eaten it. 

As a dietetics student, I am curious to know what exactly would decode the unappealing stigma that vegetables hold in the eyes of children.  So I went straight to the source and questioned my third-grade brother what it would take for him and his friends to eat fresh foods.  Sadly, he replied, “I’d eat them if they were dipped in chocolate.”

While it is disheartening that some kids feel this way, it’s good to know that members of the American Dietetic Association are hard at work to change this.  The ADA’s Kids Eat Right initiative and National Nutrition Month campaign support efforts for children to incorporate more healthy choices into their meals each day. 

According to MyPyramid.gov, it is recommended that kids (age 8) consume at least 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 1 ½ cups of fruit per day. 

Here are four fun ways you can encourage children to “eat right with color.”

Go shopping.  If you have an extra hour to spare, take your kids to the grocery store or farmers market and let them pick out what they’d like to eat.  Kids will feel proud when eating the food when they feel a part of the process of choosing what they eat.

Pick new foods. Do you see a plantain or starfruit?  Have you ever tried fava beans or kohlrabi?  Let your child select some foods not normally chosen and enjoy trying something new!

Play with your food.  Whoever said that you couldn’t play with your food was wrong!  Allow your child to have fun with food by using bite-sized fruits, vegetables, and toothpicks to create sculptures.  The young one will have fun making a unique creation—and may perhaps eat a few pieces along the way!

Be a food critic.  Tell your child to pretend to be the food evaluator on television shows like Top Chef or The Next Food Network Star.  Set one small portion of four or five new foods on the plate and have your child judge the tastes, textures, and overall eating quality of the foods. 

With these four tips, your child might soon discover that eating fresh foods can be exciting.  And you will be able to rest assured knowing that your little one is not only receiving optimal nutrition, but is enjoying it too. 

To find out more information regarding healthy eating for kids, please visit http://www.kidseatright.org.

Victoria Holthaus is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Human Nutrition/Dietetics.   She is a member of Ohio State’s Sport and Wellness Scholars, the Food and Nutrition Forum, and serves as a Student Council Liaison to the American Dietetic Association.  You can follow her on Twitter @ToriHolthaus or read more at www.healthyglowandgo.wordpress.com