Children should be taught to adopt a healthy lifestyle since a young age. With health issues like obesity, diabetes, and eating disorders affecting even kids there days, its best the young ones understand and practice healthy eating habits as early as possible.
One easy way to start this practice is by teaching your child to cook. Barbara J. Brandt, author of Your Kids: Cooking!, agrees. “It is imperative that kids learn to cook, especially today when their only other option is commercially prepared processed food that has been proven to be causing unprecedented heath issues in our children.” Brandt’s book/DVD set teaches kids to cook using video demonstrations and a unique kid-friendly recipe format that makes it possible for them to prepare 20 complete meals on their own, with minimal supervision.
Brandt points out that cooking can benefit children in many ways:
- Kids who learn to cook eat healthier because they are able to prepare delicious food using fresh and wholesome ingredients.
- When children are taught and understand the basics of nutrition and what it means to eat healthy and why it’s important to eat healthy, they are gaining knowledge that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
- They are empowered to make healthy food choices that are right for them, which is the definition of independence – not being influenced or controlled by others.
- Their food choices are not influenced or controlled by food companies that want to sell them unhealthy food full of salt, sugar, fat and preservatives.
- Learning in this way builds confidence and motivation and develops in them a sense of pride and accomplishment that can only come from knowing they did it all on their own.
- They learn organizational skills, time management skills, how to follow directions, food safety, math, science, patience, and humility, among other values.
- One of the best by-products of their learning to cook is that they gain an appreciation for what it takes to get tasty, healthy food on the table. It also helps them gain an appreciation of what it takes to keep the kitchen clean.
Not only does a child learn to cook, but the process also encourages closeness and bonding with the family. “When families spend time together in the kitchen, they can’t help but engage in spontaneous conversation, whether it be about what their day was like or about something that has been on their mind for a while,” explains Brandt, adding, “In these busy times, this is often the only chance families get to spend that kind of quality time together.”
It may be hard for parents, at times, to get their child interested in cooking. So how do you get the kiddie involved? “By letting the kids be in charge of the process, starting with picking out which recipes they want to make, to shopping, and especially when preparing the recipe,” answers Brandt, offering a solution.
Allowing kids the opportunity for their input and choices to matter is usually all it takes to spark an interest in kids to learn anything. “They spend all day in school being told what they are going to learn and rarely have a chance to engage in active learning. When they are allowed the freedom to choose and feel like they are really contributing to their family in a meaningful way, they become very excited and motivated,” says Brandt.
A few points need to be kept in mind when teaching your young one to cook. “Safety, safety, safety,” emphasizes Brandt on the most important point, “In my book, we take great care to educate kids about the dangers they may encounter in the kitchen, and group them into “hot stuff,” “germy stuff,” and “sharp stuff”.” Another crucial point is patience.
Keep the teaching process simple, advices Brandt. “Just introduce them to the basic concepts of the five food groups and how to build a healthy plate.” They also need some understanding of the difference between fresh ingredients and processed ingredients and to understand why fresh is better than processed.
Brandt believes that kids should be allowed to eat the things they like. “By allowing this and with the understanding that all things in moderation is ok, kids are more willing to be open to trying new foods and more open to reducing the amount of not-so-healthy foods they are used to eating.”
In conclusion, she states that meals like soups, stews or casseroles are easy to prepare and encourage participation by all family members. “The really little ones can wash produce, or measure spices, and the older one can do the knife work to prepare the veggies. And everyone can have a say in what goes in it, because that’s the nature of soup or stew – they are great ways to let the creative juices flow and put in everyone’s favourites.”
SPINACH BALLS
The name is sometimes enough to make kids turn up their noses to the idea. If that might be the case with your kids, try calling them Green Meanie Balls, or Martian Bites, or anything but spinach balls!
Ingredients:
20-oz frozen spinach (thawed and thoroughly drained)
1 box stuffing mix (chicken flavour)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
5 eggs (lightly whisked)
1 onion (finely minced, or grated)
½ cup butter (melted)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
8 oz mozzarella cheese (finely grated)
Preparation:
Combine everything in a large bowl. Mix together until the spinach is evenly distributed throughout the other ingredients. Form into small balls. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
BANANA OATMEAL MUFFINS
Made with oats, yogurt and bananas, these muffins are an easy-to-make delicious snack full of whole grains, dairy, and fruit.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup yogurt
¾ cup sugar of your choice
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 ripe bananas
Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes.
