Chef Zipora Einav, a chef to celebrities and author of Recipe for a Delicious Life, says it is easy to get kids excited about eating healthy if you involve them in planning and meal prep.
Zipora feels that the first thing to note is that kids like to feel listened to. Sit down with them at the dinner table to plan a menu ahead, getting excited about their ideas and learning together about new recipes and ingredients. Look together at packaging labels on prepared foods, talking about additives and processed vs. whole foods.
From designing a menu to shopping to preparing a meal, there are ways for kids of all ages to get involved. Even if a child isn't ready to work with a knife, there are plenty of jobs in the kitchen. They can use cookie cutters in fun shapes to cut vegetables like potatoes into shapes for roasting, or to cut sandwiches.
Zipora also offers these suggestions for eating healthier on a budget:
- Don't shop hungry! Make a list and prepare ahead to cook two or three days in advance, rather than overbuying groceries for the whole week and ending up with food waste.
- For healthier snacks, try baked vegetable chips or sweet potato fries rather than the packaged chips.
- Make home-baked chicken fingers or bake chicken to create a sandwich on whole wheat bread.
- Always include seasonal fruit such as apples, pears, grapes, or strawberries in a meal.
- Does your child have a favorite vegetable like carrot sticks or celery? Pair them with hummus, or, for variety, make a yogurt dip with lemon and dill.
“Every day, try to eat something different for variety,” Chef Zipora says. "It's exciting and healthy, and especially if kids helped to create it themselves, they're going to eat it."
For more, listen to the full interview in this article's audio player.
Image of boy eating healthy food © Shutterstock
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar